I would be remiss not to interject these tantalizing essays on ancient Levantine societies with a commentary on the state of the world. My few faithful readers are no doubt aware of the current state of our world. Up to a third of the globe is in lock-down as we're fighting tooth and nail against the spread of coronavirus 2019. I remember keeping up with the Chinese outbreak at the tail end of 2019 and thinking it would be awful if it spread throughout the world; in my naivety I assumed this wouldn't happen, but of course come the beginning of March, such optimism corroded.
As I write this, Ohio has about a thousand confirmed coronavirus cases. The key word is 'confirmed' because these are just the tip of the iceberg. Current estimates place actual cases, based upon mathematical spread models, around 300,000 for our state. Ohio is in lock-down, grocery stores are practically emptied of food and supplies, and people are staying indoors. I suspect we're at the very beginning of this pandemic and that it could last throughout the rest of the year. The Ohio health secretary is estimating that our 'peak' of cases will be around May 1st with 6000 to 8000 new cases a day. That's a scary thought, especially given the fact that both our girls have asthma and Chloe has a bad case of asthma. On March 6 she was almost hospitalized for a lower lung infection that looked oddly similar to Covid-19, though of course she wasn't tested for it (she was, however, tested for a litany of other things, but they all came back negative; our pediatrician and the doctors at Children's Hospital were stumped). Is it possible Chloe had it? It lasted about two weeks and she had all the symptoms associated with coronavirus, and being younger with asthma, it hit her about as hard as one would expect with the novel virus. There will never be a way to know, but if so, here's to hoping that getting it once can give you immunity!
This whole pandemic - the worst since the Spanish Flu of 1918-1919 - is going to be something society remembers down the generations. This is a 'generational' moment in the same way that 9/11 was 'the moment' for people my age. This, of course, will have a staggeringly higher death toll than that terrorist event, and the ramifications - economically, societally, and spiritually - will rival what came after September 11th. We're just three weeks into the 'raising' of American consciousness to this new state-of-affairs, and life has changed drastically. It'll be interesting to see how society is different once the pandemic ends. Here are a few ways my family has been impacted:
Education. Ohio schools are shut down until April 1st at the earliest (though everyone suspects this will continue for the rest of the school year). Chloe and Zoey are thus doing school from home. Zoey doesn't like it, as she misses her friends and teachers, but Chloe loves it: she doesn't have to wake up at 5:30AM, she can do school in her pajamas, and she can knock out her stuff much faster than if she were in a brick-and-mortar building. Ashley and I have been considering home-schooling the girls for a variety of reasons, so we're approaching this as a 'trial-run' of sorts to see how (a) the girls handle it and (b) how we handle it. It's only been a week (given last week was their Spring Break), but we're getting good vibes!
Work. I've been trying to get a better job for a while now but have been met with roadblocks and hurdles. It's been frustrating, because I don't want to stagnate and I want to provide better for my family. However, it turns out this has been a good thing. Up to twenty percent of households have lost income because of the lock-downs and the closings of non-essential businesses. My field of work is considered essential, and I'm actually facing longer hours. Perhaps God was purposefully thwarting my efforts because He knew this was coming. God has always provided for us in every way, and this may be another example of His wisdom. When so many people are facing a lack of income and mounting bills, we are looking at stability into this next year.
Reading. I have had to completely restructure my 2020 Reading List because the brick-and-mortar libraries are all shutting down. I anticipated this, and just a day before libraries started closing, I ran to Midpointe Library and loaded up with tons of books. I've been perusing my bookshelves in the garage and picking out books I haven't read (or wish to re-read) to keep my occupied in the coming months.
Family Time. There are two certainties about what will come out of this time: an increase in 'corona babies' and an increase in divorces. Forcing families to stay indoors amid astronomical stress and fears isn't a good recipe for harmonious living, but it can be an excellent exercise in growing in your relationships. Ash and the girls are isolated in our own, with me running to the store and picking up medicines when I'm coming off shift. This time at home has enabled us to have more game nights, more movie nights, and more time together in general without feeling rushed to run hither and thither. Ash and I have gotten into a few squabbles (as married couples tend to do!), but we're also growing closer through this.
Below is an excellent sermon by Douglas Wilson that I feel is particularly encouraging for this time. I suggest you give it a listen (or skip below to where I give my own take-away):
The Bible instructs us to praise God and thank Him in all things and for all things. Are we to praise Him and thank Him for the coronavirus? Yes. Why? Because we acknowledge that (a) God is in control - He is allowing or orchestrating this pandemic, and either way, it is here because He wills it to be - and (b) we know that God works all things for His glory and for the good of those who love Him. At the Consummation we will see God's purposes and plans in this and all things, and we will respond with praise and thanksgiving. In the present, when we lack the knowledge of why things are the way they are, we can praise Him and thank Him because we trust that He is not only in control but that He knows what He's doing. We preempt that praise and thanksgiving that will naturally flow from us when all things are made new.
The virus is scary and concerning, but it doesn't supersede God's goodness and love and His plans for His people. Besides: though this is new to us, it is nothing new to God's people. Plagues and epidemics have always been part of the fabric of life, and we join the experience of the saints of old when we live in this reality that is new to us.
As I write this, Ohio has about a thousand confirmed coronavirus cases. The key word is 'confirmed' because these are just the tip of the iceberg. Current estimates place actual cases, based upon mathematical spread models, around 300,000 for our state. Ohio is in lock-down, grocery stores are practically emptied of food and supplies, and people are staying indoors. I suspect we're at the very beginning of this pandemic and that it could last throughout the rest of the year. The Ohio health secretary is estimating that our 'peak' of cases will be around May 1st with 6000 to 8000 new cases a day. That's a scary thought, especially given the fact that both our girls have asthma and Chloe has a bad case of asthma. On March 6 she was almost hospitalized for a lower lung infection that looked oddly similar to Covid-19, though of course she wasn't tested for it (she was, however, tested for a litany of other things, but they all came back negative; our pediatrician and the doctors at Children's Hospital were stumped). Is it possible Chloe had it? It lasted about two weeks and she had all the symptoms associated with coronavirus, and being younger with asthma, it hit her about as hard as one would expect with the novel virus. There will never be a way to know, but if so, here's to hoping that getting it once can give you immunity!
This whole pandemic - the worst since the Spanish Flu of 1918-1919 - is going to be something society remembers down the generations. This is a 'generational' moment in the same way that 9/11 was 'the moment' for people my age. This, of course, will have a staggeringly higher death toll than that terrorist event, and the ramifications - economically, societally, and spiritually - will rival what came after September 11th. We're just three weeks into the 'raising' of American consciousness to this new state-of-affairs, and life has changed drastically. It'll be interesting to see how society is different once the pandemic ends. Here are a few ways my family has been impacted:
Education. Ohio schools are shut down until April 1st at the earliest (though everyone suspects this will continue for the rest of the school year). Chloe and Zoey are thus doing school from home. Zoey doesn't like it, as she misses her friends and teachers, but Chloe loves it: she doesn't have to wake up at 5:30AM, she can do school in her pajamas, and she can knock out her stuff much faster than if she were in a brick-and-mortar building. Ashley and I have been considering home-schooling the girls for a variety of reasons, so we're approaching this as a 'trial-run' of sorts to see how (a) the girls handle it and (b) how we handle it. It's only been a week (given last week was their Spring Break), but we're getting good vibes!
Work. I've been trying to get a better job for a while now but have been met with roadblocks and hurdles. It's been frustrating, because I don't want to stagnate and I want to provide better for my family. However, it turns out this has been a good thing. Up to twenty percent of households have lost income because of the lock-downs and the closings of non-essential businesses. My field of work is considered essential, and I'm actually facing longer hours. Perhaps God was purposefully thwarting my efforts because He knew this was coming. God has always provided for us in every way, and this may be another example of His wisdom. When so many people are facing a lack of income and mounting bills, we are looking at stability into this next year.
Reading. I have had to completely restructure my 2020 Reading List because the brick-and-mortar libraries are all shutting down. I anticipated this, and just a day before libraries started closing, I ran to Midpointe Library and loaded up with tons of books. I've been perusing my bookshelves in the garage and picking out books I haven't read (or wish to re-read) to keep my occupied in the coming months.
Family Time. There are two certainties about what will come out of this time: an increase in 'corona babies' and an increase in divorces. Forcing families to stay indoors amid astronomical stress and fears isn't a good recipe for harmonious living, but it can be an excellent exercise in growing in your relationships. Ash and the girls are isolated in our own, with me running to the store and picking up medicines when I'm coming off shift. This time at home has enabled us to have more game nights, more movie nights, and more time together in general without feeling rushed to run hither and thither. Ash and I have gotten into a few squabbles (as married couples tend to do!), but we're also growing closer through this.
Below is an excellent sermon by Douglas Wilson that I feel is particularly encouraging for this time. I suggest you give it a listen (or skip below to where I give my own take-away):
The Bible instructs us to praise God and thank Him in all things and for all things. Are we to praise Him and thank Him for the coronavirus? Yes. Why? Because we acknowledge that (a) God is in control - He is allowing or orchestrating this pandemic, and either way, it is here because He wills it to be - and (b) we know that God works all things for His glory and for the good of those who love Him. At the Consummation we will see God's purposes and plans in this and all things, and we will respond with praise and thanksgiving. In the present, when we lack the knowledge of why things are the way they are, we can praise Him and thank Him because we trust that He is not only in control but that He knows what He's doing. We preempt that praise and thanksgiving that will naturally flow from us when all things are made new.
The virus is scary and concerning, but it doesn't supersede God's goodness and love and His plans for His people. Besides: though this is new to us, it is nothing new to God's people. Plagues and epidemics have always been part of the fabric of life, and we join the experience of the saints of old when we live in this reality that is new to us.
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