| Message for Tuesday, March 17 Hello, Friends. Below I share a post from Rev. Adam Hamilton regarding fear and statistics. I share this with a desire to curb fears, while continuing to encourage all of us to remain vigilant in following all of the guidelines and mandates of the CDC, our local and state health professionals, as well as our local, state, and federal government officials. So, please do not hear this message as a call for laxness on anyone’s part. We are all in this together and we will get through this together as we each do our part. Blessings, prayers and peace to you all! Pastor Sherry +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It is natural to be fearful in times like this. Yet over 100 times in the Bible we’re told, “Don’t be afraid.” Why not? Because God is with us, and because he is with us, there is always hope. Fear is intended to protect us, to help us see possible threats and to respond accordingly. But left unabated, it can leave us paralyzed. Regarding the coronavirus: You have a 50% chance of not contracting the coronavirus. If you do, you have an 80% chance of not getting sick from it. If you get sick from it, you have a 97 to 99% chance of not dying from it. I woke up with a cold today. It is highly unlikely it is the coronavirus, but if it is I am highly likely to be fine – so are you. If you feel sick, stay home. If you don’t feel sick, avoid crowds and try to follow the 6 foot rule. And everyone, wash your hands! The Dow dropped 3,000 points yesterday. The coronavirus is a short term concern. For every person selling stock, someone is buying believing the market will recover. It is going to be a challenging couple of months due to the shutdown, and we’re going to have to figure out how to help each other, particularly those who are sick and those who have no income coming in during this time or whose businesses are going to be challenged. The government will have to help and will. But this is a short term problem. We’ll make it through this couple of months. We may even find good things coming from the slowdown/shut down – a kind of imposed sabbath, a time to reflect on what matters, people working together to solve problems. For the first time in two years the UMC is focused on something other than our conflict over marriage. For a moment we have a slight respite from politics as usual in our country. Many of the things I had scheduled the next couple of weeks are off the calendar now and that means time to read and reflect and evenings with family. Finally, repeating the four steps to living Unafraid:* Face your fears with a bias of hope Examine your fears in the light of the facts Attack your anxieties with action Release your cares to God (*From Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times, Convergent, 2018) |