We are living in pretty scary times, aren’t we?
If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.
There is social upheaval, the political polarization of American’s, crime in the cities, college students destroying our historical monuments, financial problems, businesses going under, and let’s not forget the pandemic.
With all this going on, anyone would be justified in being cautious, right? But when does being cautious turn into being afraid?
When do we go from being aware of our surroundings to being scared of every shadow?
When does “I’m coming down with a cold” become “Oh no! I think I have Covid!”
I know someone with a 10-year-old child, and this kid told his mother he had the sniffles. What did she do? She whisked him off to a Covid testing station! The kid said he had a runny nose- no fever, no aches, no headache, nothing that indicated he had anything but maybe a slight cold, but WHAM! Straight to the Covid testing center.
And he didn’t have Covid.
I had a slightly sore throat when I came back from a long weekend in New York City, and no other symptoms, and in a few days I was better. I didn’t run off and get tested, but I did watch for any other symptoms to appear. I wasn’t afraid, I was cautious- my wife and I didn’t kiss until I felt better. A few days after I felt better, my wife developed a cough, but no other symptoms. She was told by people at an animal hospital where she volunteers, that there is a “cough” going around. Are we going to get her tested? No. Why not? Because that is not necessary. If she develops a fever and other symptoms, then we will, but it is already getting better. In the meantime, we don’t get to kiss each other, which I hate.
We are being cautious, but we are not scared.
Do I wear a mask in the car when I am alone? Duh! Of course not, but I see so many that do. And when someone tells me it is probably because they forgot they had it on, I just roll my eyes. I have worn the stupid mask for hours when I was forced to do so because I was traveling by air and I can guarantee that NO ONE finds these masks comfortable. No one forgets they are wearing it. Everyone, absolutely everyone I have talked to who has had to wear a mask for hours at a time hates doing it.
The people who wear a mask while driving alone are afraid.
The people who test themselves or someone else at the first sign of any problem are afraid.
The people who insist they can’t go anywhere or see family members who may not be vaccinated are afraid.
And please don’t tell me they are concerned for the health of others, because that doesn’t really make sense- people who are truly at risk will protect themselves and not depend on others to do so.
When you know you are at risk, you make sure you are cautious, or even afraid, and in those cases, I don’t really blame them for being a little more than just cautious. If I had COPD, diabetes, or was a member of a high-risk group, I would trust in God but still make sure I was safe.
The Bible tells us the difference between being cautious and being afraid:
Isaiah 41:10; Lamentations 3:57; Matthew 10:28 (this is a major source of strength); 2 Timothy 1:7; Hebrews 13:6; Psalm 23:4 (you should have already thought of this one); Psalm 27:1; …and there are more.
Cautious is wearing the right kind of mask. If you believe wearing a mask will prevent the spread of Covid and is necessary, then don’t wear some fashion mask with a face on it or some banner, and especially not one of those gaiters, which are totally useless as any kind of protection. Wear a mask that is OSHA certified, or an N95 (that you change after every 4-6 hours of use), or the mask made by Sonovia Tech, an Israeli company that guarantees their mask will kill the Covid (and Delta variant) germs completely for a full year (it is washable and reusable.)
If you are cautious, you are being smart; if you are afraid, you are being faithless.
I am not saying you should open a kissing booth in the middle of a leper colony and expect God to protect you. We are told, after all, not to test the Lord, our God, but we can be certain that he is watching out for us.
The fact is that 97% of those who have been infected with the Covid-19 virus have survived, and there have been few (if any) long-term problems from it. The vast majority of those in the 3% that died already had pre-existing conditions that rendered their immune systems weak. They could have died from the regular flu or even a bad cold.
The vaccine is proving itself to be a short-term bandage, and nothing more since so many people that have been vaccinated are getting sick 6 or more months after they received their shots. Now they tell us we are supposed to get a booster?
When I was in Sales, I learned of something called a “Loss Leader”- you take a hit on the profit from selling something because that product will need a constant upgrade, which costs money. The real profit is not in selling the product, but in the constant need to refurnish what the product needs to operate. I believe these booster shots are just that.
Someone has to pay for the constant research and production of the vaccines, and since the only money the government has is yours, guess who will be paying for it? Expect increased taxes, increased insurance premiums, and increased costs of health care.
But, this isn’t about the actual pandemic issue, it is about your reaction to it- are you being cautious or scared?
God is always here to protect us and help us, and frankly, if he decides I should get sick and die, what have I lost? Doesn’t Shaul (Paul) tell us that if he dies, he considers that gain because he gets to be with God? (Philippians 1:21)
Personally, I have no problem with getting to be in God’s presence for all eternity sooner than I expected to be. Hey- if I gotta go, I gotta go, and frankly, the sooner the better. It’s getting to be a real drag here on earth.
Not that I wish to die, but I have no fear of it because I have faith in God. I am cautious, usually, but I am not afraid to go around maskless, or to be with family and friends, or to refuse to get a booster shot. That doesn’t mean I don’t believe Covid is real or can be deadly (heck- driving your car can be deadly), but I am not afraid of it and I would rather spend my time enjoying my life than being afraid of death.
You need to ask yourself how much of what gives you pleasure in life is being lost to fear of getting Covid, or of crime, or of having to (maybe) take a vaccine that is beginning to show itself to be as deadly to a select part of the population as the disease!
You need to ask yourself “Am I cautious, or am I afraid?” Because, if you honestly admit that you are afraid, then you need to work on strengthening your faith.
Thank you for being there and please subscribe, check out the entire website (especially my books- I just finished my 4th book which debunks the many traditional lies about the Messiah), and please share these messages with everyone you know.
I also have a Facebook discussion group called Just God’s Word you can join.
That’s it for now, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!
