Power, Love and Sound Judgement

This article has been written by Mitzie Beavert & Esther Vanderwal

As parents, one of the things we strive to teach our children is to be good citizens.  We know the importance of modeling behaviors we want our kids to embrace.  Now is the opportunity for modeling those behaviors.  We have a captive audience in this unprecedented time we are experiencing with Covid-19 so let’s make the most of it! 

 We want our kids to see us remaining level-headed and not panicking.  We need to be wise in what we allow our younger kids to view on television due to increased fears and anxieties.  This is an opportunity to have a truthful, calm and wise conversation with our kids. We want our kids to see us handling the situation and using all our coping tools including prayer for some.  Self-care should be practiced and modeled so that our kids also learn to embrace and see it as normal behavior.  In the Bible 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgement.”  This is such a powerful scripture! 

 What does sound judgment look like?  It looks like making trips to the grocery store or pharmacy at times when it is the least crowed and being stocked up so that you limit your trips out in public and the opportunities to expose yourself or loved ones to Covid-19.  It’s using apps for curb-side grocery store pick up or delivery.  Sound judgment means following the guidelines being given by our city officials, state governments, and nation’s leaders. 

Both public and private universities have given students orders to pack up their dormitories and sent them home for the semester to finish with online classes. Because the illness is now being deemed community spread most all school districts have extended spring breaks of elementary, middle and high schools with instructions to use this time to stay safely out of crowds at home as it is not intended to be an extra vacation time.

During this extra week school districts are preparing to move the students to virtual learning per the CDC’s recommendations to avoid group gatherings for the next 8 weeks.

I share all of this with you, not to create panic but to encourage using sound judgement.  Our leaders are trying to make the best decisions and set up the best scenarios, so we too need to do our part.  We need to model being good citizens to our children and abide by the recommendations.  Abiding by these recommendations shows that we know the importance of slowing the outbreak in order to protect the vulnerable and elderly.  Abiding is not only sound judgment but a spirit of love and selflessness. 

Reports from other countries such as Italy are showing that if the Covid-19 spreads and peaks too rapidly, there won’t be enough hospital beds or ventilators to care for the ill.  It is here and we know it is going to spread but we need to all do our part to slow the spread so we don’t overburden our healthcare system and be left in the same predicament as Italy where they were faced with the choices of who to let live or die.  Yes, we are being called to think of others and how our choices of abiding or not abiding by recommendations impact them.

Let this national health crisis be an opportunity to model to your kids being a good neighbor.  If you know of someone who is health compromised or elderly, give them a call and offer to pick their prescriptions at the drive thru pharmacy or their groceries curb side while picking up your own and leave them on their front porch.  See if they need one of your spare rolls of toilet paper.  Our kids are watching and learning!

Lastly, I encourage you to embrace this time together in your homes where the pace of life has slowed down a bit to pull out the board games, watch movies together, read, do crafts, clean out closets, and just be engaged together. You have the power to make the most of it!

For those of you that find comfort in their faith, I want to leave you with some scripture references you and your family may share during this time and will help you to find comfort- Psalm 4:8, 1 Peter 5:6-7, Philippians 4:6-7, Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 26:3, and John 14:1.  Blessings to you all!