Words, Crazy Words
A Sweet mix of the secular and sacred
A Word on Wednesday: Jeopardy
The Lord is our shelter in the storm. In the book of Luke (8:22-25), we learn of Jesus getting in a boat with his disciples. “So they set out … And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger.” The disciples, who were afraid, woke Jesus in a panic saying “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Jesus “rebuked the wind and raging waters, and they ceased, and there was a calm.” “Where is your faith?” He questioned.
I draw upon this story, because it is a tale of lives in jeopardy. Corona has put all our lives in jeopardy. This virus has claimed, as of today, more than 122,000 lives in the United States alone. That is one-hundred, twenty-two, thousand deaths.
Yet, I do not live with anxiety. I socialize with friends and family. I put my health in jeopardy. This is not because I think I deserve to survive because of some strong faith that I have. I do not delude that Jesus will spare me. It is not because I think I am healthy enough to survive.
I accept the risk, because I am tired. Tired of being cautious. Tired of living in fear. Also, it is because, I live in a rural area where I feel my chance of contracting the virus is less than those living in densely populated areas. However, I have been as close as two degrees of separation from tested-positive patients. This worries me enough to not jeopardize myself in large crowds. It concerns me enough to wash my hands excessively while at my day job.
Jeopardy is hazard or risk of or exposure to loss, harm, death, or injury. In this jeopardy, I consider my risk. I am comfortable rolling the dice, moderately, with caution.
However, as I consider this jeopardy I dance with, I must also consider my responsibility to others. To that end, I wear a mask in public settings. Yet, hypocritically, not with friends or family.
There are absolute life and death consequences associated with Corona. Should I resume sheltering in place and require my family to do the same? I am responsible for my actions and would feel terrible, guilty if my actions caused an infection to another.
God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai to serve as principles of moral behavior for the human race. The fifth commandment is thou should not kill, specifically, referring to murdering an innocent person.
Responsibility is the state of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one’s power, control, or management. I suppose I take comfort that the virus and its spread is outside of my control, and therefore what responsibility do I really have?
Still I am left to ponder, what right do I have — even unknowingly — to put others in jeopardy?
Therefore, I pray. Pray for an end to this pandemic. Pray for life to resemble the normal we had known. Pray for the lives of my loved ones and me. Pray for the scientists to come to a solution. Pray for the families homeschooling their children. Pray for sensibility throughout the lands. Pray for our leaders at all levels to guide and protect us. Pray for economic recovery for businesses. Pray for financial relief for individuals. Pray for a new normal to emerge of greater compassion and gratitude.
WiscoPoet
Words, Crazy Words 