It might mean giving up your career, or lose friendships because you can’t keep up with them, or ballooning into the sort of person who gets left out of pictures at stylish events

Imagine getting Covid and then getting long Covid. The reality for those patients is similar to mine in terms of their ability to function in the workplace.

Imagine not listening to the Government’s health warnings because you couldn’t bring yourself not go to work, or out exercising with friends, or to the shops, for 3 weeks more. Imagine then, you caught Covid and wound up having Long Covid.

Your reality might be you cannot work for a lot longer than 3 weeks. It might mean giving up your career, or lose friendships because you can’t keep up with them, or ballooning into the sort of person who gets left out of pictures at stylish events because you don’t fit the aesthetic the host is going for in their Instagram pics.

That’s my reality.

I cope with this because I long ago chose to “build my house upon the rock” of Jesus Christ instead of building it on the things I mentioned above; looks, popularity, career. Health. So when the waves of joint pain hit, and then the reality of lung disease and Pulmonary embolisms hit last year, and when I gave up my beloved, beloved job, I could continue to function. When I’ve been edited out of history because I am not photographed, I cope because (as well as knowing that reflects less on me than the character of the photographer or curator of images) I know my worth is more than corpulent flesh deep. My worth is built on my identity in Christ. Not on any other thing or any other relationship.

But not everyone out there is that secure in themselves. People cannot cope with what is left when things happen outside their control. That’s why lockdowns are leading to mental health issues, and unfortunately, suicides. Lockdowns lead to domestic abuse because people struggle with losing control of their everyday lives and taking it out on their partners.

People not trusting the Government’s health advice is ultimately a control issue. Someone says you must not, and you say, “You can’t tell me what to do!”

But friends, you’re causing chaos if you aren’t listening. You’re adding to the stress and harm of the whole community if you aren’t listening. You’re possibly spreading Covid if you’re not listening!

I feel like I’m ranting a bit, but a person fighting this disease was wheeled past my door tonight on the way to ICU. As they say, “It’s getting real”.

Hard words now, people. Grow up. You are not the centre of the Universe. The world does not exist to give you all you desire. It actually exists to bring glory and pleasure to the One who created it.

We blame each other for this situation and spread misinformation and whinging because we have to sit and stay and click and collect for a few more weeks. Whinging because our livelihood is threatened for a few weeks.

But we could lose it all! Forever! That’s the stakes. It’s life or death. It’s quality of life or death. It’s real.

Lookup Indonesia. Look up Italy. Look up the US. Look up India. Look at the evidence of the number of deaths. That is what we are trying to stop here in Australia. We are trying to save your life! We are trying to preserve your quality of life.

I am trying to save your eternal life. In this ranty, imperfect, emotional post, I’m trying to say listen and obey the wisdom. Of the Government. Of Dr Kerry Chant. Of the Dr who says get vaccinated. Of the Police Officer who fines you. Of me, who wants nobody to have to face a future of health problems if they can be prevented.

Listen to and obey Jesus. He says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He says, in Matthew 6, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”.

Listen to and obey Jesus, who says, (John 14) “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Jesus, who also says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Protect and preserve yourself in this life by listening to wisdom. Trust and obey.

Protect and preserve yourself for the life to come by listening to Jesus. Trust and obey him.

Cling to Him, because when the wind and the waves of life hit like this pandemic hits; like the floods in Germany hit; like the Japanese mudslides hit; like Cancer hits; like unemployment hits…cling to Him, because you will not be swept away by destruction and chaos. Instead, you will find that mind-blowing, understanding-surpassing peace I found when I quit work. You will find yourself in Jesus’ arms. Safe. Saved.

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