Pandemic

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:2

We are now about four years removed from the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, the virus is still with us, and in fact it is still infecting large numbers of people. I had a bout of it last March, and it was not, thankfully, debilitating. I would venture to say that almost all of my readers, and a large swath of the world’s population, have been infected, at one time or another by a variant of this virus.

Like the “Spanish Flu” that ravaged the world in the period of 1918-1922, the COVID-19 virus has mutated to a form that is more prevalent, but less virulent. Certainly, the vaccines have mitigated the COVID-19 virus in a substantial way, and have paved the way for the mutated form to be less lethal.

The COVID pandemic literally changed the world. We can honestly characterize the world now in “pre-pandemic” and “post-pandemic” eras. Just think about the ways that the pandemic has changed your world. For me, in the post-pandemic era, I now exclusively see clients by telehealth (ZOOM), not in person. I started this blog on April 1, 2020 in response to a need to express myself, and to reach people who were feeling isolated by the pandemic.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of the changes that have stemmed from the pandemic. It speaks perhaps to our resiliency. It also speaks to our vulnerability. Indeed, both aspects are true of people.  

So, we take nothing for granted. Another pandemic will come at some point. Another crisis will hit. Let us remember that we are both resilient and vulnerable, and reliant upon a faith that can sustain us through the next crisis.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see our strength, as well as our dependence upon you, Amen