The Lord's Army

This morning I had the image of the whole lot of us lathered in hand sanitizer, wearing face masks and hazmat suits, and carrying fear and anger like a heavy backpack. I pictured hearts gone frozen and every man out for himself in the name of health, safety, and sheltering in place. This was not a good image. It was not a good moment for me. In fact, and I'm still not sure what it was all about, it was a heavy moment and one filled with grief. Grief to anger, to sadness, to anger again, and back to grief. Meanwhile, I brewed more coffee and got out some Easter decorations. I was warm. Comfortable. Laundry done. A ham waiting to be put into the oven. Fresh flowers on the coffee table. And, feeling pissed off at the world.
Anger often guards more vulnerable feelings. Blah, blah, blah. I know all about it. So, yeah, there is a tender piece inside of me today. Real tender but don't have an answer for it and maybe it doesn't matter.
What I have been thinking about are the people whose homes are not safe. Not everybody gets to cozy up on their couch, eat, and watch Netflix. Not everyone is playing games and having fun. Some don't even have a home. Some don't have a place right now to get warm or even eat. Not everyone has internet, a tv, or a phone. Some don't have a bank account, a dime to their name, a drivers license, or even a birth certificate. Some are probably hardly conscious of the word, "corona." They LIVE in crisis daily. This virus means nothing. Just another day in their world is all it is. But, for thousands of us who haven't a clue, it's all we can think and talk about. We feel good about the multiple bulk packs of toilet paper and who knows what else we have stocked in the basement. We cry over empty shelves of canned products or that we couldn't find ourselves a beef roast for Sunday dinner. We joke about how the kids are going to drive us nuts. We get a high out of griping with a friend or on social media about all the greedy selfish people out there with shopping carts overflowing with "necessities." There are people who SLEEP on dirt and in rat and germ infested areas, even in the good ole USA. People in other countries LIVE DAILY, FOR YEARS and YEARS, what we have to walk through for maybe a few months? And, I'm with all of you. The memes ARE funny. So, are the jokes. I've got extra rolls of toilet paper in my daughter's bedroom and felt like slapping the woman at Walmart when she grabbed some out of my hands. There is a ham in my oven. I'm as privileged as the next person wishing I could just walk around TJ Maxx for the fun of it, but shoot, it's probably closed. WE. ARE. SO. PRIVILEGED.
As followers of Christ, we need to get it together and step it up. As we adjust to this new "normal" let us also now begin thinking about what opportunities we have to further the Kingdom of God. Ministry has NOT been put under quarantine. God help us if we really believe that. God is the most creative of us all. Let's start getting CREATIVE. 
A wonderful way to help combat fear, in a practical sense, is to start working on a project that will help someone else. Get out your stationery and start mailing letters. Make phone calls. Walk next door or across the street and check on your neighbor. Be safe but we don't have to get ridiculous, either. People perish because the ones who can, do nothing. I heard about a former mechanic who offered people to drop their cars off at his house today and he would fix minor repairs for free. Rapha Chicago Ministry is in the process of finding people who would be willing to make homemade dinners we can freeze and distribute to those who need them. Someone else has a bunch of blankets she is giving out. What can you do? We are to be the light of the world. Are we lighting up or are we hiding behind the curtains? We have AMAZING spiritual gifts empowered by the Holy Spirit. They did NOT die out because of a shelter in place! Imagine if we all prayed to the Lord and then followed His direction on what we could do. Wow. WOW!!! Imagine it!!! They really would know we are Christians by our love and not in name only.
Truly, whether you have a lot or a little, you DO have something to give. We each have a different capacity for giving at the moment and your capacity is absolutely acceptable. We are a body made up of many parts. We are a FAMILY of believers in Jesus. 
It is not comfort and fun OR outreach and ministry. It is both. And, for the record, nothing is more thrilling than genuine outreach and making a difference in someone's life. Anger, fear, and misery are killers of the immune system and we all need strong immune systems right now. I'd like to imagine that hand sanitizer we are rubbing in as being readiness for our participation in the Army of the Lord. We can do this together with God. We can do this to honor Him.
You are loved and valued. Special and unique. KNOWN. Prepared and equipped. Appreciate what you have and enjoy your loved ones. In that, we can also be ever so conscious about making more 'on earth as it is in heaven' and there is no better time like the present.