I am a NICU social worker and today, a mama was sobbing at her baby's isolette because her baby had taken a bad turn and was going to be transferred to a higher level hospital. I put my hand on her shoulder and she turned and I hugged her. She snuggled her snot-streaming eyes pouring face into my cheek and neck and shirt. I just held her. And prayed for both of our safety as we violated social distancing. I washed my face, threw my shirt away and put surgical level germ killer on my skin. But I am still scared. And I would do it again. Not because I am brave. Because I can't not do it.
And by that I mean, danger is not optional, but fear is."
What an important statement to make, that God does not bring you safety. Many of my Christian brothers and sisters would say quite the opposite, and speak of a sort of Divine Superpower Protection if only they pray hard enough, if only they show enough goodness in their lives...as if we could ever be good enough that God is going to look upon a few of us and say, "Hey...you! YOU are SOOOOOOO Good! I will keep you safe, but those other people? They can go to..." well, you know ;-)
Theology is complicated, personal, irrational at moments (Isn't all faith?) and it sadly often dictates how we are with others in the world based upon our very human understanding of the Spirit That Moves Among Us. And I don't know about anyone else, but I sure don't want to follow and listen to a Spirit that is as lacking in compassion and understanding as I can sometimes be.
Faith doesn't bring us to safety, but faith can bring us peace...acceptance...comfort...during those dangerous times, during THESE scary times. The danger still exists. This all reminds me of the quote, "Speak even if your voice shakes." Maybe it is God whose presence surrounds us in the danger who doesn't magically keep us safe, but gives us the courage to speak.
My amazing mother died two weeks ago, and the world seem to collapse around that event along with the coronavirus, the financial crisis and isolation from all of my communities, including my church family. Your message made me realize that being afraid and expecting the worst are deadening my soul to the many blessings that I’ve stopped seeing. Thank you for that moment of grace.
Merrilee, you have been hammered during an unusual time. The world DOES feel as if it is collapsing around us a little bit, and losing your mom makes the sense exponentially worse. Blessings are there, even when we have to work hard to find them. I hope you see a few in the coming days to lift your spirits, and help you feel God is with you in the danger.
I have to say I have lived in fear every single day since I was abused by a priest as a boy. My fears are irrational yet they dominate my behaviors and my life. Being told to isolate is a GIFT because it allows me to do the one thing that feels always safe...sit alone with music (instrumental classical) and books about history-neither triggers my mind.
My sole (soul) goal is to leave this planet for what has to be a better place...
Ross I am sorry you did not deserve that nor are you in anyway to blame. I work with adults who were abused as children while their parents were missionaries. I have found my irrational fears will never go away but at the same time because I know the truth they are losing their power. May the safety you feel expand and grow during this time so when this real danger has passed you will have more strength to face the irrational fears.
Ross, I hope you will pursue help (as you are able) for your trauma, so that you will again see the preciousness of this life in addition to the one to come. I work in a community-based counseling center that has a sliding fee scale, and we see people with trauma, and many of my clients are making progress little by litte, healing from past trauma. It takes a while and some frustration to find a counselor that is a good match for you, and can help you to make a difference in life. Blessings
I am a retired epidemiologist so I am posting all of the helpful, truthful information I can find about why “flattening the curve” is - literally - vitally (as in life-sustaining) important, while my unretired colleagues are daily putting their lives on the line. And I am posting a selection of other helpful, hopeful, funny things because people need help and hope and fun. And I get back “like” emojis and questions and grateful comments that make me feel good. And I am helping the world by self-isolation. And I get back much less daily frustration with lines and crowds and traffic and packed to-do lists.
To love the world I have been helping to keep our food bank open, serving the most vulnerable in our community. We have been able to make it a curbside service through the determination of our director. As long as we are able to get food we will stay open.
I work in a hospital laboratory and to say *outloud* that I am afraid is hard to admit to myself but I am. Thank you for writing this. I AM afraid about so many things right now. Thank you for allqoing me to find my voice.
I work in a call center as an immediate support counselor for an employee assistance plan. Today I had my first (of what I'm sure will be many more to come) call from someone with underlying anxiety/depression who is having panic attacks because of the COVID-19 situation. Knowing there is nothing I can do that is really going to fix or resolve that can be overwhelming in and of itself. I'm scared of saying the wrong things, scared of disappointing my caller because I cannot fix this. But I venture forth anyway and see what I can do that might help one person flounder a little less in the chaos.
Thank you for this beautiful message. Enjoying the beauty of God’s creation by reliving past adventures and trips into glorious places captured in my photography, such as Holden Village where I first met you. Also practicing being mindful and present!
Beautiful, thank you so much for both the validation that danger is dangerous and that God is love and our love for each other defines us, not our fears.
My church prepares. A meal every Wednesday for homeless and marginalized angels. We sever 200 or more each week .we are not able to serve a hot meal in our fellowship hall right now due to rules set down by our Govener who is doing a good job. So we are packing sack lunches and passing them out on the steps on our church. God is blessing our church as we struggle financially to continue serving those in need
Working hard to look for, find and read things that do not feed anxiety and fear. Stepping away from the news and into words like yours. Today I volunteered to head a committee at school (virtual obvi) who will buy supplies, pack and leave them with neighbors (elderly, moms with young kids). We can be separate yet working alongside one another. It's our version of planting the tree. And it feels good today.
Me: a retired missionary, mostly keeping to myself in a tiny studio-apt; which, btw, I'm deeply grateful for. Now, where was i? Oh yeah - I was forced into retirement, actually, by ministry associates who thought that I had an attitude problem. That opinion was shared with just the right peeps, who both fired me from my job, then sent me packing! I wound up in Seattle, fighting through homelessness for a couple of rounds; there, that's enough for today - this' not my 'blog, but I thank you for letting me have this rant - and the org. that fired me is intentionally left anonymous.
I am a NICU social worker and today, a mama was sobbing at her baby's isolette because her baby had taken a bad turn and was going to be transferred to a higher level hospital. I put my hand on her shoulder and she turned and I hugged her. She snuggled her snot-streaming eyes pouring face into my cheek and neck and shirt. I just held her. And prayed for both of our safety as we violated social distancing. I washed my face, threw my shirt away and put surgical level germ killer on my skin. But I am still scared. And I would do it again. Not because I am brave. Because I can't not do it.
<3 God bless you. Thank you for reminding us why we're all even scared of this virus anyways...because we love people.
Because you love 💕... blessings to you!
"But Faith in God does not bring you safety.
The fox still exists.
Danger still exists.
And by that I mean, danger is not optional, but fear is."
What an important statement to make, that God does not bring you safety. Many of my Christian brothers and sisters would say quite the opposite, and speak of a sort of Divine Superpower Protection if only they pray hard enough, if only they show enough goodness in their lives...as if we could ever be good enough that God is going to look upon a few of us and say, "Hey...you! YOU are SOOOOOOO Good! I will keep you safe, but those other people? They can go to..." well, you know ;-)
Theology is complicated, personal, irrational at moments (Isn't all faith?) and it sadly often dictates how we are with others in the world based upon our very human understanding of the Spirit That Moves Among Us. And I don't know about anyone else, but I sure don't want to follow and listen to a Spirit that is as lacking in compassion and understanding as I can sometimes be.
Faith doesn't bring us to safety, but faith can bring us peace...acceptance...comfort...during those dangerous times, during THESE scary times. The danger still exists. This all reminds me of the quote, "Speak even if your voice shakes." Maybe it is God whose presence surrounds us in the danger who doesn't magically keep us safe, but gives us the courage to speak.
My amazing mother died two weeks ago, and the world seem to collapse around that event along with the coronavirus, the financial crisis and isolation from all of my communities, including my church family. Your message made me realize that being afraid and expecting the worst are deadening my soul to the many blessings that I’ve stopped seeing. Thank you for that moment of grace.
Merrilee, you have been hammered during an unusual time. The world DOES feel as if it is collapsing around us a little bit, and losing your mom makes the sense exponentially worse. Blessings are there, even when we have to work hard to find them. I hope you see a few in the coming days to lift your spirits, and help you feel God is with you in the danger.
I have to say I have lived in fear every single day since I was abused by a priest as a boy. My fears are irrational yet they dominate my behaviors and my life. Being told to isolate is a GIFT because it allows me to do the one thing that feels always safe...sit alone with music (instrumental classical) and books about history-neither triggers my mind.
My sole (soul) goal is to leave this planet for what has to be a better place...
Ross I am sorry you did not deserve that nor are you in anyway to blame. I work with adults who were abused as children while their parents were missionaries. I have found my irrational fears will never go away but at the same time because I know the truth they are losing their power. May the safety you feel expand and grow during this time so when this real danger has passed you will have more strength to face the irrational fears.
Ross, I hope you will pursue help (as you are able) for your trauma, so that you will again see the preciousness of this life in addition to the one to come. I work in a community-based counseling center that has a sliding fee scale, and we see people with trauma, and many of my clients are making progress little by litte, healing from past trauma. It takes a while and some frustration to find a counselor that is a good match for you, and can help you to make a difference in life. Blessings
I am a retired epidemiologist so I am posting all of the helpful, truthful information I can find about why “flattening the curve” is - literally - vitally (as in life-sustaining) important, while my unretired colleagues are daily putting their lives on the line. And I am posting a selection of other helpful, hopeful, funny things because people need help and hope and fun. And I get back “like” emojis and questions and grateful comments that make me feel good. And I am helping the world by self-isolation. And I get back much less daily frustration with lines and crowds and traffic and packed to-do lists.
To love the world I have been helping to keep our food bank open, serving the most vulnerable in our community. We have been able to make it a curbside service through the determination of our director. As long as we are able to get food we will stay open.
I work in a hospital laboratory and to say *outloud* that I am afraid is hard to admit to myself but I am. Thank you for writing this. I AM afraid about so many things right now. Thank you for allqoing me to find my voice.
Love this
You nailed it
To hell with fear !
I work in a call center as an immediate support counselor for an employee assistance plan. Today I had my first (of what I'm sure will be many more to come) call from someone with underlying anxiety/depression who is having panic attacks because of the COVID-19 situation. Knowing there is nothing I can do that is really going to fix or resolve that can be overwhelming in and of itself. I'm scared of saying the wrong things, scared of disappointing my caller because I cannot fix this. But I venture forth anyway and see what I can do that might help one person flounder a little less in the chaos.
A calming voice is often a place of refuge in the storm. We can't fix life, but we can walk with each other through it.
Thank you for this beautiful message. Enjoying the beauty of God’s creation by reliving past adventures and trips into glorious places captured in my photography, such as Holden Village where I first met you. Also practicing being mindful and present!
Beautiful, thank you so much for both the validation that danger is dangerous and that God is love and our love for each other defines us, not our fears.
My church prepares. A meal every Wednesday for homeless and marginalized angels. We sever 200 or more each week .we are not able to serve a hot meal in our fellowship hall right now due to rules set down by our Govener who is doing a good job. So we are packing sack lunches and passing them out on the steps on our church. God is blessing our church as we struggle financially to continue serving those in need
Working hard to look for, find and read things that do not feed anxiety and fear. Stepping away from the news and into words like yours. Today I volunteered to head a committee at school (virtual obvi) who will buy supplies, pack and leave them with neighbors (elderly, moms with young kids). We can be separate yet working alongside one another. It's our version of planting the tree. And it feels good today.
This is beautiful! As we sit more still than we are used to and face the uncertainties, I want to focus on all the love. Thank you!
I wrote a benediction for the world in the midst of a pandemic for Medium. Trying to stay connected and check on the most vulnerable among us.
https://link.medium.com/6u4MjAIlZ4
This is so wonderful. May we share it with others?
I would be honored!
Me: a retired missionary, mostly keeping to myself in a tiny studio-apt; which, btw, I'm deeply grateful for. Now, where was i? Oh yeah - I was forced into retirement, actually, by ministry associates who thought that I had an attitude problem. That opinion was shared with just the right peeps, who both fired me from my job, then sent me packing! I wound up in Seattle, fighting through homelessness for a couple of rounds; there, that's enough for today - this' not my 'blog, but I thank you for letting me have this rant - and the org. that fired me is intentionally left anonymous.