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dogriverAs Covid-19 continues, more and more people are getting fed up with the restrictions that are in place. This is perfectly understandable, no one likes to be restricted, it's as simple as that.
But a lot of people are becoming militant in their opposition to these restrictions, and it leaves me, someone who believes strongly in the need for these restrictions, out in the cold. I'm hearing words like "indoctrinated", "brainwashed", "un-Christian" to describe people who believe that these restrictions are essential, and it really bothers me.
It's not just Christians who are doing this, of course, not by a long shot, but the spotlight is placed on such Christians because (a) they're an easy target, and (b) they're more organized than other groups of people who oppose the restrictions.
There's a part of me that wants to jump on the bandwagon and rant and rave about the restrictions. But that's not the real part of me. The real part of me wishes people would stop fighting the restrictions, since the more people fight them, the longer the problem will remain. It's like when you're holding onto akid's hand and the kid is trying to pull away from you - you know that if you let go, the kid is going to go flying, but the kid is convinced that unless he or she can pull away, he or she's lost. If we keep resisting the restrictions, this virus will continue to hit us hard. But if we stop fighting, then we'll be able to irradicate the virus from our midst.
To the people who say these restrictions are "un-Christian", I offer you Philippians chapters 1 and 2. Paul was a lot more inconvenienced than we are. Yet his request was not to be sprung from prison, not a demand for his Christian freedom, it was a request that others "make his joy complete" by loving those around them, putting the needs of others ahead of themselves. Putting others in harm's way by defying the restrictions is not loving our neighbor, it's the opposite of that. Putting others at risk in the name of our own freedom is, in my opinion, as un-Christian as it is possible to get. I encourage people to find innovative ways to exercise their freedom under the current restrictions, instead of moaning about what they can't do. That way, once this is all over, they'll have even more options available to them. Remember God's greatest commandments: to love Him, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Remember the great commission. How are we sharing the good news, how are we loving others, by endangering those around us? What would Jesus do?
But a lot of people are becoming militant in their opposition to these restrictions, and it leaves me, someone who believes strongly in the need for these restrictions, out in the cold. I'm hearing words like "indoctrinated", "brainwashed", "un-Christian" to describe people who believe that these restrictions are essential, and it really bothers me.
It's not just Christians who are doing this, of course, not by a long shot, but the spotlight is placed on such Christians because (a) they're an easy target, and (b) they're more organized than other groups of people who oppose the restrictions.
There's a part of me that wants to jump on the bandwagon and rant and rave about the restrictions. But that's not the real part of me. The real part of me wishes people would stop fighting the restrictions, since the more people fight them, the longer the problem will remain. It's like when you're holding onto akid's hand and the kid is trying to pull away from you - you know that if you let go, the kid is going to go flying, but the kid is convinced that unless he or she can pull away, he or she's lost. If we keep resisting the restrictions, this virus will continue to hit us hard. But if we stop fighting, then we'll be able to irradicate the virus from our midst.
To the people who say these restrictions are "un-Christian", I offer you Philippians chapters 1 and 2. Paul was a lot more inconvenienced than we are. Yet his request was not to be sprung from prison, not a demand for his Christian freedom, it was a request that others "make his joy complete" by loving those around them, putting the needs of others ahead of themselves. Putting others in harm's way by defying the restrictions is not loving our neighbor, it's the opposite of that. Putting others at risk in the name of our own freedom is, in my opinion, as un-Christian as it is possible to get. I encourage people to find innovative ways to exercise their freedom under the current restrictions, instead of moaning about what they can't do. That way, once this is all over, they'll have even more options available to them. Remember God's greatest commandments: to love Him, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Remember the great commission. How are we sharing the good news, how are we loving others, by endangering those around us? What would Jesus do?
