Choose Life

In these trying times, I am trying to cope with the fact that I view life differently than a lot of people. Even this morning, as I walked into the grocery store, a fellow shopper handed me a sanitizing wipe for my cart. I was actually taken aback. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was nice of her, and I did actually sanitize my cart at Walmart the other day, for once, but that was a rare occasion. I simply don’t live my life in fear of much, but I definitely do not let the fear of germs control me. I have taught school for so long, fully aware of all of the dangers. Not only am I in contact with 1000s of people each day, in addition to those my kids come into contact with in their schools, but I have never taught a year without a school shooting happening, somewhere in the country. I KNOW what the dangers are, but I am convinced it is more important to do what I am called to do, and that is be where the people are. I have spent one week away from my students in order to “social distance”, and it is so depressing that I can’t see them, talk to them, hear their sarcastic comments, really sad. That is what I am called to do, and the minute they let me back in the doors, I will be there again, despite the dangers. And my own kids will go back to school whenever they can because God wants us to shine his light, and almost always, that requires us to do the opposite of social distancing, daily. So today I “choose life” the best I know how because to choose fear in my mind is to also choose the “death and destruction” Deuteronomy mentions. Will people get sick? Yes. Is it okay to use caution? Yes. Is it okay to stop living because of fear? No. We are not to stop living, sharing life with others, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control . . . for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me” (2 Timothy 1:7, 13). May we remember the example of Christ, who refused to “social distance” from the sick, the poor, the outcast, etc . . . May we choose life.