Pandemic Woes

These last few months have been quite traumatic for most people! The pandemic came and took us by surprise.  One day at the end of March, we were going on with our every daily life, and then BAM! Out of nowhere, without even an ounce of notice, schools were shut down, employers sent employees home, restaurants shut down, nursing homes ceased in person visits in order protect patients. Our lives changed drastically! We did not know what to expect! I thought it would last a few days, however, days turned to weeks, and weeks turned into months.  Six months later and we are still here.  I remember my son, who would have been graduating 8^th Grade this year, told me about a dream that he had.  He said in his dream that he was in school and noticed that he was in the classroom all by himself.  He then broke down crying and said, “Mom, we aren’t going back to school”.  He would not be able to finish his track season.  Life came to a screeching halt. I would soon learn that the pandemic was just beginning of an unprecedented journey!

Some people believed that it was just the “flu”, while others like myself were just confused!  Reality sank in for me when the NBA abruptly canceled a game and dismissed people out of the Chesapeake Energy Arena.  That scared me, because it was at that moment that I realized that this pandemic stuff was serious.  I thought for a moment that this was just a slight “flu” bug.  Then after the NBA canceled its entire season and churches were ordered to close, and a whole list of other places!  The Church of God In Christ (COGIC), one of the world’s largest holiness organizations, began to experience unprecedented loss due to the virus. Several of the top leaders (In the New York area) in COGIC died within days of each other.  Then other COGIC Bishops throughout the entire COGIC body began to die from the COVID virus.  COGIC canceled all of its conventions that it has hosted since I was a little girl.  The Auxiliary In Ministry (AIM) convention which is widely attended by young people was cancelled due to the pandemic.  There many widespread deaths throughout the COGIC body, due to state conventions being held by those, who were oblivious to the deadly affects of this virus, knows as COVID-19.  Accounting for at least 40 percent of COVID deaths, New York was hit very hard.  To add to the chaos, the world seemed to be torn between the seriousness of this virus. 

Can I Be Honest? I’m skerd

This pandemic gripped me with fear.   In the beginning I was so afraid.  That’s right! I confess that I, a child of God, was fearful.  I was bleaching down everything. LOL!  I even bleached down all of our cell phones to the tune of $300!  Yep! I had damaged my youngest son’s cell phone because of I was constantly wiping it down.  I thought the phones were water proof! 😀 LOLOL!   The cost to replace that brand new iPhone 10x was $300.  I can laugh about it now, but I was skerd saints! That’s when it really hit me. I was singing for God, playing the organ, but if I were to be honest, I was living in fear of this virus that I couldn’t even see.  I had seen lives viciously taken by this.  I had already seen the devastation in my own COGIC family.  I repented to God for being fearful and begin to put my trust in God. I began to just confess God’s word over my family and my church family. “He gives his angels charge over thee and they shall keep you in all your ways”. (Psalms 91:11) I had to begin to starve my doubt and feed my faith through God’s word.  That didn’t stop the devil!

He gives His angels charge over thee and they keep you in all of your ways! Psams 91:11.

The virus hits home!

Jarius, my oldest son, had attended a youth church camp earlier that week, where they had no belief in social distancing or wearing a mask. By Saturday, he had called off from work and I knew something was wrong, because he doesn’t like to miss work. “I don’t feel good Mom”. My heart dropped, but I began to immediately pray and plead the blood of Jesus over him. (I believe that overcoming my fear of Corona Virus in the previous weeks is what helped me not to panic in this situation.) God is so good! He always prepares us for the test! He said he had a headache and felt really tired. I took his temperature and he had a low grade fever. I immediately took him to urgent care. Is the mic on? Listen! Everybody in that urgent care center was there with COVID symptoms! Nope! I had no reason to fear! He gives His angels charge over thee and they keep you in all of your ways! Psams 91:11. Jarius ended up testing positive for COVID-19. He would struggle with a headache and fatigue for about four days. We would all have to quarantine for 14 days, but God brought us all through without any transmission of the virus to anyone one else in the house. Praise God! God is a keeper!

I wanted to share this blog, because I know I’m not the only one that struggled with the fear of this virus. Maybe fear had its claws gripped on you, or maybe Corona Virus has never challenged your faith! Honestly I was $300 skerd! 😂 I take comfort in knowing that I can be myself with God. He knows my concerns and He knows my heart!  He not only comforted my heart, but He gave me the victory over my fear!   Please know that fear is a normal emotion, because it alerts us to possible danger. However, as believers fear should never overtake us. We have the confidence in knowing that our Heavenly Father cares for us. l leave you with this scripture, I Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! We are victorious!

Blessings

Lady J