What Kind of People Ought We to Be? - Relating to Each Other in Crisis

I get it. We are living through a time of crisis unlike any of us have ever experienced in our lifetimes. In just a couple of weeks' time, COVID-19 has totally transformed our world. Who would have thought just a month ago that you would not be able to get toilet paper at the local store?  Schools are shutting down.  Sports leagues are suspending their seasons and championship tournaments so that there are NO SPORTS to watch.  Restaurants are only offering carry out service.  Movie theaters are closing their doors.  The stock market is plunging.  I mean, we're just a couple of weeks away from Road Warrior.

So, it makes sense that we are all a bit on edge right now.  The newsfeed each day seems to be getting worse and worse.  We are experiencing significant disruptions in our schedules, lifestyles, hobbies, routines, jobs, education, and healthcare. As a result, people are anxious and afraid because the world is in a time of chaos and there seems to be little we can do to control the chaos.  When we feel anxious, afraid, and out of control, we often respond to other people with anger, rudeness, and selfishness.  From what people that know are telling us, we are likely just at the beginning of this crisis.  So, if we are going to make it through this time, how should we relate to each other?  What kind of people ought we to be?

Nearly two thousand years ago, the Apostle Peter asked that very question.  He was contemplating the fact that there is coming a day when this world as we know it will come to an end.  Look at what he says: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. (2 Peter 3:10)  Peter says there is coming a day when the ultimate disintegration of life here on earth as we know it is going to happen.  There is coming a day when the end of the world as we know it (to quote REM) is going to take place.

Now, I don't know if our present crisis is an indication that we are approaching that time or not.  It certainly wouldn't surprise me.  The point, however, is that any time of crisis ought to remind us that this reality and this world as we know it are not eternal.  Plagues, financial crises, natural disasters, wars and rumors of wars are all functions of the fact that this world has a life expectancy, and it will one day end.

So, in consideration of that fact, Peter asks this question: Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? (2 Peter 3:11a)  Since this world is one day going to be no more, since Jesus is coming back again, and since he will judge all of us on the basis of whether we have trusted in him and allowed him to transform our lives, what kind of people ought you to be?  Peter's answer: You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. (2 Peter 3:11b-12).

Peter's question is a great question for us to ask ourselves in the current Coronavirus crisis.  What kind of people ought we to be?  How should we respond to the challenges that we are currently facing, and especially how should we relate to each other as we navigate this crisis?  Peter says we ought to live holy and godly lives.  What does that mean?  Well, holy and godly are not character qualities that we can generate in ourselves.  The only way for any of us to be holy and godly is through giving our lives to Jesus Christ.  He is the only person who ever lived a holy and godly life.  So, the only way for you and I to be found holy and godly is through trusting in Jesus' sinless life, his death on the cross as a payment for our sins, and his resurrection from the dead to overcome the power and penalty of our sins. (If you've never done that, please contact me.  I would love to tell you more about how you can become a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ.)

Then, once Jesus changes you, you are free to live out the life that he has placed inside of you, a holy and godly life.  That's why Peter closes out by saying, Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:18)  In our present crisis, I would like to recommend three ways that we could all grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ:

1. Extend grace to each other.  This is uncharted territory for all of us.  Your local store managers were not prepared for massive runs on basic supplies.  Your child's teacher had no warning that he or she was going to have to try to figure out how to educate your child using distance learning and online education.  The families in your neighborhood were not prepared for having their kids at home and everyone being on some level of lockdown for weeks on end.  Your pastors and churches have little to no experience with living as the church in this environment.  As a result, we're probably all going to make some mistakes.  Things are not going to go as planned.  We're not going to get it right and we probably will sometimes get it downright wrong. So, let's all extend some grace to each other.  Let's forgive.  Let's offer kindness and compassion.  Let's take care of each other.
2. Be patient with each other.  Because this is uncharted territory for all of us, we are all figuring this out as we go.  Teachers and store managers and bosses and doctors and pharmacists and government officials and public servants and pastors and families are all navigating a new reality.  And it's going to take some time for us to figure out some of this.  So be patient.  Don't get angry.  Don't yell.  Be slow to criticize or complain.  
3. Be humble.  In our present environment, being humble for me generally means, "Don't be a jerk."  Don't act like you know it all or have it all figured out.  Don't be the person who refuses to listen to the wisdom and instructions of people who know more about the situation than you do.  Don't make snap judgments based on your opinions or some theory you read on the internet.  Don't disregard the information and instructions we are being told by epidemiologists, virologists, and government authorities.  Be humble enough to submit to their leadership and authority.  And most importantly, humble yourself before God.  Take some time to pray.  Ask him to forgive us for disregarding him, and ask him to bring an end to this virus. Recognize that he is ultimately the one who is in control, and submit yourself to him.

[We would love for you to join us for worship this Sunday with The Crossroads Community Church online at The3C.online.church.]