Mask Of Fear

           Decisions!   They can be paralyzing and leave a person feeling helpless.  It can be about any number of things; our future, finances, relationships, medical questions, our kids, and so much more.  There are those who seem to do very little decision making and it all works out.  

          For others, decision making comes hard.  It seems every little decision becomes a stressful event, causing lack of sleep, tears, screaming and even a physical illness.

            This kind of decision making ends up being an in-decision.  I have one friend who has serious issues making up his mind.  First he’ll decide to move one way and by the next morning another thought has entangled his thought process and he’s going in a completely opposite direction.  His spouse, when they were first married, just took it in stride when he’d change his mind about a decision he’d made which affected them both.  As the situation grew over time, it became frustrating, because it became a day to day effort just to keep up with what they were doing!

            One of the biggest decisions we have going on right now is related to the COVID-19 ‘thing.’  Social distancing is still very much a part of our lives. We’ve begun to return to a level of normalcy in some instances, but we are still required to wear a mask.   And of course, physical touch is still banned.  (This is especially hard for me!)

            Besides the lack of hugging, trying to decide whether or not to wear the mask is still creating problems for some.  I admit, I loathe it, but have been diligent to wear it, except in those places which doesn’t require it!  But it’s hard for those who have difficulty breathing in it, like the pregnant woman who just feels like she’s gonna be sick (literally) if she has to wear it for more than a moment; or other individuals with other specific needs.            

A friend of mine has an interesting perspective. His take (in a nutshell) is, ---We wear the mask out of the fear of catching the virus.  Or at least that’s what we are supposed to believe.---

(I’m not going to go there—and get political---)  But this virus is mean.  There is no doubt about that, but we’ve become a people who are afraid of other people.  We have to decide how we are going to respond to it.

My friend asked if Jesus was afraid to go to the Cross?  He went willingly for you and me.  He didn’t hide behind any fear.  He had enough love to put himself at death’s door and walk through.  Love is the greatest gift we have been given.  That love pours over to others we know, whether it be family, friends, strangers (friends we don’t know yet!) and our church family—and other brothers and sisters in Christ.  We should not be afraid to love them.  

This pandemic has put us, on some levels, ‘out of touch’ with those we love most—out of a spirit of fear.  We are afraid we are going to get the virus, or spread it.  That’s a worthy concern, please don’t misunderstand my perspective.  But it’s time we smile!  And it’s time people can see our smiles instead of a half-hidden face, behind a mask. 

That, I’m sure is not always the best thing, and I get that.  But I’m tired of being afraid.  If I am careful, then I should be able to display my joy,---even if it’s just a smile—to those around me!---Even if I must keep my six foot distance!

I encourage comments, but would ask that you not be mean if you don’t agree.  Share your view.  Let’s have conversation---just say it with a smile and with genuine kindness and love.

Photo credit:  https://unsplash.com/s/photos/covid-19-mask