My heart is saddened by “Christians” who are buying into a mentality of “getting back to normal” at the expense of exposing the “weak” & sacrificing them to die. It is as if Christians have been hypnotized into believing that somehow this is right or good. As the prophet warns, “beware of those who call evil, good…”

When the culture rejects the “Sanctity of Human Life” ethic concerning the unborn and those survivors of late-term abortion are left to die, and people actually advocating for infanticide & “right to die”, euthanasia… it is no wonder that as a society as a world, it comes down to survival of the fittest.

It is a slippery slope downward with all the “logical” reasoning of sacrificing “the one” for the benefit of the many. Sadly this echoing mantra of the “humanist manifesto” is fast becoming the new reality – whereby the individual is sacrificed for the benefit of the collective whole.

Those who are arguing for “opening the economy” by touting the survival of the fittest will be sorely dismayed when they discover that they – or their family members – or deer friends – are not among the fittest & are “selected” to die. Reminds me of “Future World” or living “under the dome”, with an implant that changes colors as you age so that the collective whole can cull the herd.

Many people including Christians are being sucked into the blame game of who is at fault. Christians arguing back and forth about which country is at fault, which political leaders didn’t “do enough”. Topics such as: deep state conspiracies; government control; freedoms; not enough supplies; and more abound.

We ALL are caught up in the drama and hype with myself included. But really… what does it matter which country is at fault? Or who cares at this point who should’ve done what when? It’s here NOW & how are we as Christians should we respond, live & love God, others, even enemies. Should we spew hatred, slander & accusations? Is this how Christians should act or talk?

Let’s be honest & face it, as American Christians we really have NOT truly suffered.

Those who compare this with the Spanish Flu in 1917-1918 or those who compare it to the Great Depression are comparing apples to oranges. We have so much more than those previous generations. We actually have advanced so much further in medicine, technology, government programs that give us things like unemployment insurance, social security, retirement accounts, business loans, not being evicted, the ability to work or have school at home & the lists goes on that those previous generations did not have!

As Americans we feel like we’re suffering because we can’t go to a sports event, the movies, the beach, or the mall. And so we whine!

As Christians we are whiners even more so because of all the above inconveniences and we whine because we can’t go to church. When often many of us might have skipped church because we had something else “important” to do.

Perhaps this pandemic is a wake up call to what is truly important… relationships with family, friends, neighbors, God. (How many are actually getting to know who their neighbors are? Are we checking in on the neighbor who lives alone, or the struggling single mom, & who else may need a hand?)

I think of our brothers and sisters around the world, many living in real poverty, in refugee camps, in hiding, in slavery, with persecution and in some places unable to even have a Bible. They don’t have access to internet, computers, and sometimes not even a radio.

We are SO BLESSED & SO SPOILED! We have access to many television & radio programming, online Christian music, bible teachings, church services, etc.

We have access to all the entertainment & games we could ask for. We can have food delivered or we can still go shopping for all kinds of stuff & not just essentials! You can still get Starbucks, In-n-Out, McDonalds!

AND YET… we talk about the economy and how awful it is as if MONEY is the most important thing in our lives. It’s so important that we are willing to let the weak suffer and die from a virus that we don’t have an immunity to, no cure, no vaccination, no quick fix. Some would say just have the old & sickly stay home & let everyone else return to normal. No need to wear masks, gloves, or take precautions.

Okay… how many of you realize you have family members that you could bring home unknowingly the virus & expose your parents, your child, your immune compromised friend.

When did Christians value money, entertainment, sports, concerts, beaches, etc., more than one human life? When did the almighty dollar replace the eternal value of Almighty God & His children?

You might say to the old, the immune-compromised, the diabetic, the asthmatic, the sick — “just trust in God, don’t walk in fear, we’re all going to die some day.”

Those of us who are in the category of “you should stay home”, have a question for you… why don’t you “just trust God to provide for your money? Don’t walk in fear of the economy. We’re all going to not be able to work someday, we’re all going to die.”

Easier said than done.

You see many of us because we already have faced the challenges of health & as a result loss of income, are already ahead in that learning curve of trusting God. We’ve learned the hard way, what is valuable & important.

You can’t put a price tag on the life of even ONE person. Many Christians are outraged about abortion & espouse the value of an unborn child, yet out of the same mouth are willing to sacrifice others for the sake of things that will turn to dust or rust!

Yes, the stress of the pandemic & a downward spiral of the economy can cause depression, anxiety, suicide, domestic violence and a host of other problems, but so did the many California fires, the Midwest tornadoes & the coastal hurricanes and floods.

Will getting us “back to normal” really solve those problems. Those problems already existed before the pandemic & if the pandemic was a tipping point, then we as Christians need to be part of the solution for those problems. Getting “back to normal” will NOT fix those problems but only bury them once again only to resurface in some other crisis.

The difference with those problems and the pandemic is there are answers, solutions, help for those problems but we don’t have answers or solutions for the pandemic. What we CAN DO is actively LOVE others by caring enough to sacrifice some freedoms and luxuries for the sake of others. This is an ethic of truly valuing each life.

Ask yourself… “What does this matter in light of eternity?” “How do my actions weigh in the eternal scheme of things?”

As American Christians, in general, we have not suffered. Jesus promised “peace I give to you, in this world you will have tribulations, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.” We are guaranteed tribulations and we are promised His peace, His presence. Jesus also said, “in as much as you’ve gone it unto the least of these, you’ve done it unto me. Come you blessed of my Father, enter into the joy of the Lord.”