I’m in my 50s, overweight, with asthma. So, yeah, getting COVID could have been complicated for me. And, yes, I got it. Teresa, too. It wasn’t our fault that we got infected, nor was it another person’s fault. It’s just the nature of this awful, terrible virus.

So here I am, still recovering and quarantined in my home for a few more days. It’s been a tough recovery with lots of coughing, some difficulty breathing, and a couple of scary nights for me, but I am blessed to be on the healing path. Today, Teresa and I have both felt the best that we have felt in two weeks. That said, I’ve had some time to think about having the coronavirus and even on the important things of life itself, and so here are a few truths that comforted me:

1. God was not surprised by the virus. I was surprised, my family and friends were surprised, but God wasn’t. Remembering that God knows the past, present, and future gave me peace as I trusted in Him through the healing.
2. No matter what, God heals. I was sick, really sick, for a night or two. My breathing was fairly shallow on two of the nights and I even considered going to the ER at one point. I praise God that things didn’t get worse and that this trip didn’t have to happen. He healed me! Yet even if things got to their worst and I didn’t get better, I would have been healed, safely in the presence of Jesus. Paul wrote in Philippians 1:21, “For to live is Christ and to die is gain.” I can truly say that God heals either way.
3. This virus will pass one day. We have forgotten in recent times that the world has a steady history of pandemics. We also need to remember that sickness and death is a direct result of the fall of man. Sin equals death. And yes, though we may continue to see even more sickness, death, wars, and even other pandemics, one day we will not see these things. These will one day pass.
4. Nothing else matters but Jesus. While sick, I spent a lot of time quietly praying, especially at night. Money and possessions have meant nothing to me in the past, and these things meant even less so in those moments. In fact, when I had my worst nights, I felt compelled to pray and focus even more on the only One who matters: my Savior, Jesus Christ.
5. We have work to be done. This pandemic will one day be over at a cost of many, many lives. Our world is changed by it on many levels: socially, emotionally, physically, mentally, and yes, spiritually. The church should respond, meaning that we should no longer focus on what we dwelled on in the past. Instead of bigger buildings and budgets, it’s time to truly do what Jesus commanded: to go out into the world and make disciples. The world is hungry, we must be ready.

There you have it. A few things that I thought about and am challenged to be about. We have a sovereign, all-knowing God who has allowed this fallen world to linger a little longer before the return of His Son. This is a gift to us to get it done. We have no idea how much time we have left, so our time is now to reach, teach, and serve our world. May we reach our neighbors and our world for Jesus!

Fran