Have grace.
I know many people have been saying this. I just wanted to send out some thoughts I have been having.
I was out grocery shopping on Friday. I lost it. I have never seen anything like it before in my life. Levi and I often shop at Cash n Carry because we don't have a Costco membership. I have never seen more than 10 cars in the parking lot. On Friday it was packed. No parking. Anywhere. Same at Winco. Walmart. SuperOne. Like any normal almost 30 year old, I called my mom.
I said "Mom people are losing their minds. They are crazy." Let's be real....I said more than that but it's truly not worth repeating. Now what my mom said is worth repeating.
"Em, people aren't crazy. They are scared and confused. Just breath. It's going to be okay."
First of all there are only like 3 (maybe 4) people who can tell me to just breath without me going ballistic on them. Second, what a wise woman. Seriously, thank mom.
Well at the stores I had to consciously fight the desire to buy all the things. The fear that it would all be gone forever and my family would starve. That I need to watch out for me and my own. That is my job. Nothing else. It was a hard thing to fight. I had just got off the phone with my mom so I had a conversation to return to when I felt the need to panic and stock pile. Not everyone has that. Not everyone had their husbands (or anyone) there with them to tell them to chill.
People are scared. Some people's lives have taught them that you have to take care of yourself. That yes buying all the freaking toilet is necessary. Some people do not have the benefit of being able to think rationally. They operate in a fight or flight mentality. They see a threat and their body responds in ways that are sometimes (for them) uncontrollable. They need (not want) to feel safe. Some people have never in their lives dealt with something like this. They could have misunderstood news reports. All I know is that I am trying to have grace. To have grace when all the baby wipes are out and I still have two kiddos in diapers. Grace when there is no more black beans for the tacos I had planned to make. Grace.
I encourage us all to have grace.
Have grace on our churches as some do not have the resources to switch everything online. Grace on the churches who's tech teams are trying their hardest to get the sermons out there live. Grace on the churches who truly do want to meet people where they are at and are trying.
Grace on the employees of stores, restaurants, coffee shops, gas stations, ect. They are all doing the best with what they have
Grace on anyone in the medical profession. They may seem tired because well folks they are!
I take this seriously not for my own health. For the people that this virus will and can kill. I have some many loved ones I want to protect. So I want to treat everyone like they are my loved ones. Elias and Addison are healthy but I have no idea what this virus would do to them. My brother is vulnerable. My grandpa. My dad. I am not the only one who has this story. That's what I am remembering. This is not a government conspiracy. Honestly if it is kuddos to them for getting multiple nations governments to agree to be apart. That would be a first in history. If you haven't noticed they don't agree on much these days. But there I go. Not having grace for people who believe differently than I do. Looks like I have some work to do myself.
Let us practice grace. Let us try to be Jesus.
I know many people have been saying this. I just wanted to send out some thoughts I have been having.
I was out grocery shopping on Friday. I lost it. I have never seen anything like it before in my life. Levi and I often shop at Cash n Carry because we don't have a Costco membership. I have never seen more than 10 cars in the parking lot. On Friday it was packed. No parking. Anywhere. Same at Winco. Walmart. SuperOne. Like any normal almost 30 year old, I called my mom.
I said "Mom people are losing their minds. They are crazy." Let's be real....I said more than that but it's truly not worth repeating. Now what my mom said is worth repeating.
"Em, people aren't crazy. They are scared and confused. Just breath. It's going to be okay."
First of all there are only like 3 (maybe 4) people who can tell me to just breath without me going ballistic on them. Second, what a wise woman. Seriously, thank mom.
Well at the stores I had to consciously fight the desire to buy all the things. The fear that it would all be gone forever and my family would starve. That I need to watch out for me and my own. That is my job. Nothing else. It was a hard thing to fight. I had just got off the phone with my mom so I had a conversation to return to when I felt the need to panic and stock pile. Not everyone has that. Not everyone had their husbands (or anyone) there with them to tell them to chill.
People are scared. Some people's lives have taught them that you have to take care of yourself. That yes buying all the freaking toilet is necessary. Some people do not have the benefit of being able to think rationally. They operate in a fight or flight mentality. They see a threat and their body responds in ways that are sometimes (for them) uncontrollable. They need (not want) to feel safe. Some people have never in their lives dealt with something like this. They could have misunderstood news reports. All I know is that I am trying to have grace. To have grace when all the baby wipes are out and I still have two kiddos in diapers. Grace when there is no more black beans for the tacos I had planned to make. Grace.
I encourage us all to have grace.
Have grace on our churches as some do not have the resources to switch everything online. Grace on the churches who's tech teams are trying their hardest to get the sermons out there live. Grace on the churches who truly do want to meet people where they are at and are trying.
Grace on the employees of stores, restaurants, coffee shops, gas stations, ect. They are all doing the best with what they have
Grace on anyone in the medical profession. They may seem tired because well folks they are!
I take this seriously not for my own health. For the people that this virus will and can kill. I have some many loved ones I want to protect. So I want to treat everyone like they are my loved ones. Elias and Addison are healthy but I have no idea what this virus would do to them. My brother is vulnerable. My grandpa. My dad. I am not the only one who has this story. That's what I am remembering. This is not a government conspiracy. Honestly if it is kuddos to them for getting multiple nations governments to agree to be apart. That would be a first in history. If you haven't noticed they don't agree on much these days. But there I go. Not having grace for people who believe differently than I do. Looks like I have some work to do myself.
Let us practice grace. Let us try to be Jesus.
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