Faith can shed a ray of sunshine in this virus-darkened world
The parking enforcement officer stopped his car and approached us.
What had we done? We were sitting in our car, which was parked in our driveway. Was it a mistake?
It was not a mistake. The reason he had stopped is that as he was driving by our home, our daughter smiled and waved to him. Then he saw my wife smile at him.
He explained that he is so used to being hated for handing out parking tickets, it took him off guard to have people smile at him. He wanted to thank us for actually being nice to a parking enforcement officer. It was a nice moment, and it was an important reminder especially for the times we are in right now. We have been going through this pandemic for months. People are sick of being secluded and are desperate for things to get back to “normal.”
Those who have escaped the COVID-19 virus have not necessarily escaped the wear and tear on their mental health. Many people I talk to on the phone have confessed they are feeling worn out.
There is a need for professional mental health care. There is no replacement for qualified and trained counsellors, but there is something all of us can do.
We can smile and be nice to total strangers. We can be intentional in trying to brighten someone else’s day.
A few weeks ago, it was my daughter’s birthday (the one who smiled and waved). I told her that earlier that day I had paid for the order of the person behind me at Tim Hortons. Since we were out for a drive, she asked if we could do it again. We did and later that day, she told me that despite not being able to go anywhere for her birthday, this was her best birthday ever.
What does this have to do with “Faith Matters”?
One of the reasons I became a Christian was Jesus’s response to the question about the greatest commandment. I once saw religion as a list of endless rules and regulations that I could never completely follow. But when asked, Jesus said it was all about loving God and loving our neighbour.
In general, the church does a pretty good job of loving God. We have beautiful and inspiring worship services. Even with physical distancing, most churches have transitioned worship to an online format without a problem.
But what does loving our neighbour look like in a COVID-19 world? It includes supporting our local food bank and making sure at-risk people are getting their groceries. It means checking on people who have lost their jobs and are isolated from their family.
But it also includes smiling and waving at total strangers. It includes being positive in a world that is thriving on negativity. It is about shining a little bit of light in a dark world.
There is so much about this pandemic that is beyond our control. The average person cannot affect when businesses reopen or when a vaccine is developed. However, we can control how we treat the people around us.
Our words and actions are rarely neutral. We can either tear down or build up. My daughter has pointed me back to Jesus: Love your neighbour as you love yourself.