Courageous Love in a Global Crisis
Image by Peter Greer
This article was originally published here by our friend and FDI and FDE podcast guest Peter Greer. Check out his blog here for more great content!
— by Peter Greer
It’s on all of our minds. It’s the first topic of conversation and the first headline on the news. The COVID-19 coronavirus is an escalating health concern across the globe and has been officially categorized as a pandemic.
We are inundated with information. Daily, I’ve been checking the statistics and have watched as the red dots on the map have grown and spread: first in Asia, then in Europe, and now in my home community.
We’ve grieved as the death toll continues to rise. We’ve seen the impact on the global economy and stock markets. We’ve heard about the travel bans, necessary precautions, preventative measures, symptoms, and supply shortages.
As fear and anxiety increase, our world becomes smaller. We naturally focus inward. How are we going to be impacted? How safe is my family? What will this mean for my travel plans? How much risk do I face? What will happen to my investments?
We seek to protect ourselves and our interests. Yet, Jesus invites us into a bigger world and a drastically different posture. A posture that constantly looks outward. Jesus called His followers to show deep love and concern for the most vulnerable. “Truly I tell you,” He said, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.”
As we consider the impact of COVID-19, we’re invited to look not only “to [our] own interests but … to the interests of the others” and to pay particular attention to the vulnerable, the elderly, the sick, and those impacted by poverty.
HOW DOES COVID-19 IMPACT PEOPLE LIVING IN POVERTY?
Amid all of the news, we haven’t heard much about the way the coronavirus is particularly damaging to those living in poverty, and not just the health infrastructure and challenges of testing and treating. For many, it’s about so much more than a declining retirement portfolio; it’s about survival this week.
Consider an entrepreneur in Asia who has spent her entire life trying to get a small restaurant up and running when coronavirus hits her community. With fewer and fewer customers visiting her restaurant, income dwindles. And with little savings, her ability to withstand that shock plummets. As days turn into weeks, the impact deepens. The concern is not just about health; it’s about survival.
For many living on the margins, the economic concerns outweigh the health concerns. Questions like How can I get medical attention? may be overshadowed by questions like Will I eat? This is the story for many families—around the world, as well as in the U.S.—who are reliant on cash flow and income for their livelihood.
In Galatians 2, as Paul prepares to travel, Peter gives him an important instruction. “All they asked,” Paul says, “was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.”
And two thousand years later, this is the call for us, too. To remember our brothers and sisters living on the margins, especially during a moment of global crisis. To think beyond our concerns and explore ways to live out uncommon generosity. To respond and invest in ways that build future resilience. To turn compassion into courageous action. To show love in the ways we pray, in the ways we give, and yes, even in the ways we cancel or postpone events (to do everything in our power to slow the spread of the disease).
Right now, the Church has an opportunity that it has not had in years. In a time when the world is growing more anxious by the day, we have the unique opportunity to share a different message—one of hope in Jesus Christ, of trust in a Kingdom economy, and of generosity in sharing with those in need. Years ago, Jesus invited His followers to share a tunic if they had two. Today, we might be invited to share an extra roll of toilet paper if we have more than we need. Let’s not miss this moment to creatively love our neighbors, the ones right next door and those much further away.
As the Church, may we embrace our mission to respond to the anxious, the hurting, and the vulnerable. To be known as a people who respond with courageous compassion and radical love.
“In a time like now, Christian neighboring looks less like fearful self-preservation and more like servanthood toward the elderly; those with HIV, autoimmune disease, or no healthcare; fatigued and under-resourced healthcare workers.
Wash hands, for sure. Then, wash feet.”
- Scott Sauls