COVID- The Great Divide

These are certainly trying times. I vividly recall sitting on my couch on Sunday, March 15 weighing the pros and cons of closing school. I never dreamed in my wildest imagination that school would not return for the school year. Since then, I have seen other things that I never thought I would see in my lifetime.

Growing up, I was taught in the public schools how great it was to live in a democratic nation. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, capitalism, etc. The greatest nation. I remember thinking, “How lucky am I?” However, are we really lucky these days?

In my 48 years (27 being in education), I have seen many tragedies: the death of friends, colleagues, students and staff members; terrorist attacks including 911; a school shooting; spousal cancer; death of both parents, etc. My story is no better or worse than most people as we have all had valleys and mountains in our lives. However, during all these times a similar pattern erupted. There was a sense of togetherness. Family, friends, and colleagues gathered together for support. Words of encouragement were spoken. We lifted each other up. We prayed for each other. There was no judgement, just presence (and usually some food!). Despite the tragedy, there was a sense of unity. A special feeling of closeness that provided support and encouragement of better days to come.

Why is COVID so different? It is tragedy. It has impacted our entire nation in some way. Yet, there is no sense of togetherness. There are no consistent words of encouragement. We aren’t lifting each other up. There is no feeling of closeness or support. There is no unity….only two sides that fervently argue with each other. And judgment…..oh my mercy. I have never seen such! Here is what I have observed:

·      Whether we like it or not, it has fallen under political parties. Both sides have become highly intolerant of the other. This is truly unfortunate.

·      Our right to hold and express our own opinions is now scrutinized. If your viewpoint doesn’t match someone else’s, oftentimes it is taken offensively or personal. Why does a natural debate have to follow? Can we not agree to disagree but still be cordial?

·      Social media is no longer a place where I get to enjoy family pictures and catching up with old friends. It has become a battleground for people to post article after article trying to convince others that their viewpoints are right. For the record, no one will ever post a FB article that will in reality convert a person’s viewpoint. Nor should it. We live in a free nation, and we all have the right to have our own opinions. 

·      The mask or no mask debate will end up dividing the nation. The words that are spoken on both sides are just brutal.

·      Christians are being down right hateful and mean. Many times, we are not representing ourselves in a positive light. No wonder we often get a bad rap! I have seen people post articles insinuating that they are better Christians because of their viewpoint while shooting down other Christians.  

I don’t know a lot. I don’t even know if my opinions are correct. But they are mine. However, I will respect your interpretation of the situation, and we can still be friends. My Dad always taught his congregation, Chris, and me that we were to take data provided and form our own opinions. He was never threatened when someone did not agree with him on Biblical issues. So why are we so threatened that we hold differing viewpoints on how this should be handled? After all, we are all humans who are filled with flaws and misperceptions. In the end, we will all look back and see that we all did some things right and we did some things wrong.

It is my hope that we can all reflect and remember that we are all beings made in God’s image. He calls us to love – not to demean, judge, retaliate, and manipulate. This is a time when we should all be coming together to support and encourage each other. We should be genuinely praying for each other during this time. Not that we change our opinions, but that we are all safe – both physically and financially - from this pandemic. We should quit the Facebook smack talk and dedicate our time to look inwards on how we can become more Christ-like, not how we think we can make people more like us! After all, we all will have to answer for our own actions and beliefs, not others. Let’s focus on our individual walk. Let God do the rest.

It is time for us to put down our differences, cut downs, negativity, and hostility. The only way that we will truly beat the COVID crisis is by coming together as a nation and supporting each other. Each of us has our own story and unique circumstances that has shaped how we are handling this time. Be respectful. Show love. Show grace. Show humility.  We are in this together.....so let's show togetherness. That is how we will overcome.