A New Kind of Shut-Down

There was a day when I was in lock-down.  I seem to find myself in a very familiar, yet uncharted predicament.  Our family has had multiple experiences where we found ourselves in a shut-down situation of some kind.  A few times, it was political, once it was a natural disaster, another time an economic event.  So, these days, with mandatory and voluntary shut-downs and quarantines because of Covid-19, we aren't terrible surprised, nor are we freaking out.  I have been processing the events of the last few months and am finding quite a few similarities, but also, some major differences between this current shut-down and our previous ones.  So, here we go:

Similarities:

• Scarcity of necessities: Every other event we've experienced has been met with a scarcity of some kind of necessity -- or a difficulty in getting them.  One time, there was no electricity for weeks, so you couldn't get money from ATMs, couldn't use your fridge, couldn't use lights, etc.  One time, there was no way to get petrol for our cars.  One time, it was hard to find fresh vegetables or rice or lentils or flour.  This time, it seems that toilet paper and hand sanitizer are the new gold.  I'm kind of kicking myself because I would love to be able to put my hands on one of the many bottles of hand sanitizer I've been given or offered in my life that I quickly regifted or refused . . .  I used to scoff at the idea of keeping my hands completely germ free.  But today, I sure would like to do so, if only to protect my elderly and immune-compromised family, friends, and neighbors.  Still, I can find a bar of soap, so I'm making do.  The toilet paper fiasco has me chuckling.  Where we're from, most people don't use the stuff.  A pitcher of water and some soap takes care of it.  Some bathrooms even have handy spray-nozzles.  I'm sure wishing I had my well-equipped squatty-potty these days.  I guess, what I'm saying is, I'm not too worried.  If we could manage without money, electricity, petrol, etc., I think we can manage without toilet paper and fancy hand-cleaners.
• Fearful News:  Each time one of these difficulties hit, the news was rarely helpful in keeping my spirits up or my head clear.  I understand it, they need to attract attention and seem indispensable.  Not that there aren't helpful bits of information out there . . . I'm sure someone needs to know what the death tolls are, what the possible grim outcomes might be if we don't take wise measures, or other things, but that someone might not be me.  If I can know the current expectations on me from my local government, enough information to pray, and get notification if expectations change, that seems like plenty of info for me.  The rest only amplifies my own concerns and robs me of the grace, strength, and hope to pray with faith.  So, I've adopted the same rule I've used during other crises: only check the news once a day, then, move on to what I can do!
• Selfishness and Selflessness:  I could also title this one: human nature.  People can be ridiculously fickle creatures.  We can speak of love and justice and fairness, but when we feel ourselves or those we love are in danger, we can act in one of two ways -- generosity or self centeredness.  I've seen people give of their own meager supply to someone else who has less.  I've seen people put their own lives in danger to try to get someone else out of danger.  I've seen hospitality toward people who don't have the means to fend for themselves.   But, I've also seen needless hoarding.  I've seen complacency to the extreme.  I've seen intentional ignoring of real issues right next door.  So, we have a choice of which person we are going to be -- in each crisis that arises.

And Now, for the Differences:

• Location:  This time, we find ourselves far from the place we call home.  We were visiting with our families in the land where we grew up and this crisis came and surprised us.  Our visas are not valid, our flights are canceled, and we are stuck waiting for this pandemic to settle and the world to open up again.  It is SO different to face a crisis in this part of the world instead of that one.  One big way is the amount of space we have.  We're staying with my mom in the country these days.  She lives on an acre of land, surrounded by fields, streams, and trees.  The kids can roam on about 5 acres of property that includes, among other things, a beaver dam!  We can also get into our car and go places.  We're still allowed to get groceries, gas, and other necessities.  We can go to my mom's cabin for a change of scenery.  In our home, I can remember two whole months where I didn't leave the small neighborhood we lived in -- even for the store or anything else.
• Resources: Where we live now, there is electricity, there is fast internet access, there are restrictions that make sense and are easily adhered to, there are government programs to help the less financially secure, and there are riches beyond what most of the rest of the people in the world can understand.  I hear folks worried about losses of jobs, difficulties paying mortgages, possible stays in the hospital, and many other things that are valid concerns.  But, in comparison, in our home, most people don't have a car.  Most people don't have access to clean drinking water.  Many don't have running water in their homes.  There are no food banks.  There are no WIC or LINK programs.  There is no government bailout check coming to them because they don't have a bank account.  The hospitals are staffed by well-trained doctors and staff, but are horribly understaffed, underfunded, crowded, and dirty.  Not because they don't know better, but because they do an amazing job with what they have to work with.  My heart goes out to people in this area, of course it does!  I hear real concerns and know how they must plague people's hearts.  But, my heart goes out even more to places that don't have the abundance of resources in this place, places where the poor of our nation would be considered rich, places that will never get the kind of attention or assistance that we take for granted. 
• How We Help: It seems pretty easy to me to find ways to help with this current crisis.  I can donate money to my local church who will help those in need in my community.  I can donate money or supplies to my local hospital or nursing homes.  I can donate to any number of charities working to help those who are most affected by the current pandemic.  I can donate to researchers who are seeking cures, medicines, etc. to help our world heal.  It is easy to help and it's regulated and it's not so personal.  Back home, when there is a crisis, it's much harder to help in these ways.  I don't have a local church.  I don't know how to donate to hospitals or charities in a way where the money would go to needs and not to a corrupt official -- I'm sure there are very good people in most of these institutions, but since I don't know who's who, it's harder to send money there.  When a crisis comes, we look for much more personal ways to help.  During the flood, Bill was out on a raft, helping people escape from the second and third stories of their homes, bringing food and clean water to people who were trapped.  During the financial struggles, we checked in with neighbors and shared the cash we were able to get with each other so that no one had to go hungry.  During this current pandemic, we're thankful that we can still help in some of these ways.  We just heard that a friend of ours, who owns a local grocery store, has been using our small van to pick up goods, since all transport has been shut down in our city.  Even though we're not there, we can still help in a personal way.  I'm seeing some people here helping in personal ways, too, and it's encouraging!  Some are sewing cloth face masks for neighbors, baking meals for families with new babies, making phone calls to elderly and isolated just to check in, ordering deliveries for people they know who might need it.  What can you do today?

I guess, as I've been contemplating all of this, I'm realizing that in every new 'crisis,' the biggest constant is that I am guided by my Savior.  His grace has brought me through all the past trials and it brings me through this one.  All the worst case scenarios I can think of still end in the same place that all the best case scenarios end: the presence of my Creator, Savior, and Lord!  He is faithful and we can persevere in these days as so many have before us and so many will after we're long gone.