Love over fear

I'm like the rest of you. I've watched the runs on toilet paper at the stores. I've watched as men carting six to eight Costco sized packs leave the store with a look on their face that says, "just try and challenge me on this." I've watched as one news article talked about pandemic last week, to this week when nearly every article is giving us some sort of update on the Covid-19 story.

I've watched as fear has taken over the hearts of people.

I've also seen love. Just the other day my family picked up a kit of crafting materials that a neighbor had put together for the families now at home for longer than they expected. I've seen people voluntarily sequestering themsevles at home for the sake of trying to keep the sickness from spreading. I've seen people reaching out to each other in ways to try and encourage each other on through our social isolation.

Don't get me wrong. I've seen the evil too. I've seen the opportunists. I saw someone selling packs with four rolls of toilet paper for $35 each. (I reported him by the way). A NY Times article told of a man who has over 17000 bottles of hand sanitizer, and how he sadly had now way to sell them now, because online sellers have closed his ads. (Hard to feel very sorry for the guy). I've seen the challenging faces. I've seen the hording. I've seen the panic.

Sin is a funny thing, isn't it? No, not HAHA funny. It's funny how we understand it. We tend to think of sin as something you do. You commit murder, and you have 'sinned.' Something I've learned is that sin is not something we do as much as it is something we are. We haven't sinned becasue we do murder, we sinned because we are angry. There's some great stuff Jesus said on this particular subject.

This reality about sin is alomst a comforting idea. The fear and the panic that we're seeing right now, even feeling ourselves, it's there because of sin. It's something within us that makes us feel like we're unprepared, lacking, or has us questioning our very safety and wellbeing. And I'm not trying to say that you are fearful, or they are fearful, because they are sinners. What I'm saying is that fear itself is sin. Fear is not sumething that's supposed to be. Fear is not part of the plan of God. Fear is not something that God hopes for us, or wants for us.

There's a reason that "do not fear" is the most common command in scripture. There's a reason that Jesus loved to ask "why are you afraid?"

In this time we all have an incredibly important decision ahead of us. Are you going to choose love, or are you going to choose fear. Choosing fear will be the natural thing to do. Choosing fear means stocking our shelves with no intention of sharing. Fear means anger and hatred towards those hoarding. But on the other hand, there are an infinite amout of ways that we can show love.

Right now choosing love may mean closing your doors and staying put. Love might mean a great deal of prayer rather than personal contact. But with out imaginations and the spirit's leading hand we have unending ways that we can show love.

- How are you going to show love over the next few weeks?
- How have you felt fearful?
- How are you going to stay connected with people?