If the tales in the Bible are any indication, God can be a bit heavy-handed by our human standards when He wants to teach us harsh lessons.

Perhaps this latest global epidemic is another harsh, overdue lesson.

If we reference the more familiar events in the Bible, the flood of Noah, the fall of walls of Jerico, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the plagues of Egypt, we can see that God can use some severe methods to get His point across. Perhaps Covid19 is another example.

In each case, humanity seemed to have gotten off track from God’s plan for the human race. In each case, there were lessons to be learned.

So, if Covid19 is another of God’s lessons, what are we learning? And just as importantly, how can He allow such suffering?

As difficult as it may be, if we step back and widen our perspective, we might recognize some of those lessons.

The quarantine situation has allowed families to reconnect with each other. It has allowed us to discover an appreciation for the social connections we took for granted. We have learned to appreciate the gatherings at sporting events, concerts and other public events that we now find ourselves unable to attend.

Many of us have learned compassion. We have learned to reach out to those less fortunate. We have re-ignited the faded flames of our imagination and found ways to contribute that we had never thought of. We have learned to appreciate the invisible providers that serve us without fanfare. We have learned generosity. We have learned the value of loved ones and special friends. We have learned to extend a hand of friendship and compassion across borders.

What about the cost? What about the pain? What about the suffering and the deaths?

In trying to understand God’s actions, we are, once again, handicapped by our human perspective. We are handicapped by the limits of our life experiences. We fail to appreciate that any amount of pain, suffering or grief that we experience is a mere pinprick in an infinite existence. Even death is just a bump in the road on the way to a glorious hereafter.

Perhaps we can find relief by reflecting on that moment when God embraced the pain of our human experience by that ultimate sacrifice on the cross perched on the hillside outside Jerusalem.

Sadly, we humans seem to require drastic lessons from time to time.

Perhaps humanity will emerge from this latest crisis with renewed hope.and renewed commitment to embrace a relationship with our God.

 

 

 

 

 

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