What COVID-19 Is Really Teaching Us

What COVID-19 Is Really Teaching Us – Do you remember what you felt and the first thing that came to your mind when Malacañang and the President of the Republic of the Philippines announced community quarantine in relation to the spread of the coronavirus? How about when they declared and strictly implemented lock-down?

I never imagined something like this could actually happen. First thing I thought of? I MUST PROTECT MY FAMILY FROM THIS VIRUS BY ALL MEANS! And being locked down in our own house for a month isn’t really a big deal or a bad idea. Was it for you?

But of course, we all worry. Next on my mind: How about our business? Our employees?My social media collaborations/projects? Then, what will happen to the people who wouldn’t have work for a month? What can the government do about this? Crime might come next if people starve!

This is totally scary! And it’s actually getting scarier each day. The number of coronavirus positive cases and deaths rising in the Philippines! More cases in Quezon City (where we live) everyday!

I know this is all new to us and we are all coping and adjusting to the current situation. But here are some things that COVID-19 is teaching us and I hope we would all realize.

How weak we are as humans

And that we should not take our life on Earth for granted.

At the time of writing, 225,381 cases of coronavirus and 9,276 deaths have been reported worldwide. I know we’re all trying our best to contain its spread. And I really hope (but not confident) that we are successful.

You may click here to see data and countries affected and the number of cases and deaths.

“The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind [COVID-19] blows over it and it is gone and its place remembers it no more” (Ps. 103:15–16).

Remember to dose up your vitamins and drink lots of water. Washing hands regularly with anti-bacterial soap is highly advisable too. WE ARE HUMANS AND WE ARE ALL VULNERABLE TO THE VIRUS.

Ultimately, this virus is teaching us how short life is. And it’s giving us the chance to slow down, think our actions over, and recollect what are we really living this life for. The one and only life we have. What have we been spending our time with? Was it all worth it? If we die now of the coronavirus, have we lived our lives without regrets? Go on. Think about it now.

With coronavirus in our midst, we are all equal

That in the eyes of the world, we’re all different; but in the eyes of the virus, we’re just the same.

This virus doesn’t respect ethnicity or race. It’s not a Chinese virus; it’s our virus. Even France, Afghanistan, Thailand, America has it — in 176 countries and territories, and counting! The color of our skin, the language we speak (our accents even), and our cultures count for nothing in the eyes of a contagious disease.

We’re all members of the great human family, created in the image of God (Gen. 1:17). And in our suffering, in worrying for an infected loved one, or in the pain of losing a loved one, we are completely equal—weak and without any answers.

Slow down and #MakeTimeForWhatMatters

Our days are so filled with people and projects, works and bucket lists, home tasks and holidays, that we struggle to distinguish the important from the urgent. We have lost ourselves and our perspectives in the midst of the madness of our lives.

Perhaps this crisis is reminding us what we should really concern our lives with. It’s helping us to distinguish between what’s meaningful and meaningless. Perhaps that nail extension or that Instagram post isn’t essential to my survival.

The lockdown gave me more time with my kids. I am a Work-At-Home mom but this time is totally different. I am not rushing our activities or their baths so I could go back to my work.

#MakeTimeForSilly too! I love this year’s campaign of my Mommy Mundo community. <3

My heart is at rest and I don’t need to panic every time I remember my things-to-do and deadlines. Perhaps the coronavirus is teaching us to spend our time wisely and use it to what really matters.

You have probably been very busy making money and providing for the family. Nobody blames you for that. But now, you’re locked in at home but still spending more time on your phone? Put that down and take this opportunity to build a good relationship with the family. Play with the kids. When was the last time you had real fun with them without disturbance or rushing? Perhaps the virus is teaching us to take life easy and focus on what really matters.

Stay connected/reconnect

Technology often gets a bad name these days. Fake news and people trying to cause unnecessary panic is the reason why I only trust news shared on my VPharma family Viber group and not on Facebook. Our new world is one of total connectivity, with all of its germy entanglements. At times like this, we see the importance of being able to connect and stay updated with the right information. We are currently secluded from the potential spread of germs but not separated from our learning.

We watch the news and see the truth. Simply, we cannot fully separate ourselves despite our best efforts. Knowing that most of us are always tuned in to Facebook and online news, connectivity is not an enemy but an ally. Ultimately, it’s what will get us out of this mess too.

Technology can separate us, distract us and instill fear in us. It can feel like its own prison, but it can bring us together too.

Use technology to reconnect with the people you haven’t talked to lately because of your busy life. When was the last time you checked on your good old friends? Call your grandparents. Call your favorite teacher or professor. It’s the perfect time to catch up and let them know you’re there and that you care about them.

The difference between Fear and Faith

Again, what’s your reaction to this crisis? It’s so easy to be gripped by fear. It’s easy to see the coronavirus everywhere I look: on the keyboard of my laptop as I am writing now, on the doorknob, in every physical contact, and around every corner, waiting to infect me. Are we panicking?

Or perhaps this crisis is challenging us to react in a different way—with faith and not fear. Faith in Jesus Christ, the good shepherd who is also the resurrection and the life.

Surely only Jesus is in control of this situation; only He can guide us through this storm. He calls us to trust and believe, to have faith and not fear.

The importance of prayer in the time of coronavirus

We have been very busy coping with the fast-pacing world and perhaps we have forgotten to pray and ask for God’s help. In the midst of a global crisis, we all feel so small and insignificant; but there is something we can do. We can call out to our Father in heaven.

Let’s pray for the authorities running the countries and our cities. Pray for the medical teams treating the sick, the army and police making sure lockdown is implemented. Pray for those living in red zones. For the men, women, and children who have been infected, for the people afraid to leave their homes, for those at high risk with other illnesses, and for the elderly. Pray the Lord would protect us and that He might show us His mercy.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore,”  (Rev. 21:4).

Our country is imprisoned in its own way by the current scourge: most of us are literally required to stay in our homes while others are imprisoned by panic and anticipation. Disease is a prison. Fear is a prison. What was once confined to Wuhan, China now envelops the globe. Hence, we see with each passing hour, with the rising cases and deaths, how futile attempts to containment can be.

One way to think about the pandemic is in terms of humanity coming together to fight a natural threat in the form of a virus. I find this thought inspiring and relieving. The reminder that we are all similarly vulnerable, similarly worried, and that we need concerted action across the globe to address this disease, brings some hope.

A message to all

My 3 years old Amaria has a simple reminder for everyone. Watch her video and be sure to follow her advice. 🙂

I hope isolation and lockdown can also be an opportunity for reflection and change. Let’s cooperate, try our best to prevent the spread of the virus, it’s the least we can actually do. These thoughts about who we are as individuals and as parts of a large, wonderful web of life are my two cents.

Stay safe, everyone! We are stronger than the coronavirus. Let’s prove it that!

Love,

Momma Nish