Fear Blinds, Faith Sees

"Then Jesus told him,  “I entered this world to render judgment - to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” John 9:39 NLT

While waiting in the hospital clinic to see my eye surgeon for my post operative review of my cataract operation, snippets of a documentary about saving the earth caught my attention. The need for changes to the ways we use energy and to control the use of fossil fuels and the hidden effects of the Covid 19 pandemic that is saving our world  opened my eyes to the mysterious and awe inspiring ways of God. Kota Sriraj, an environmental journalist, shared the following insights:

"The Earth is healing itself even as its biggest “parasite”   humanity, grapples with the virus by practicing social distancing amid strict lockdowns. Suddenly, the urban as well as peri-urban areas have started experiencing a resurgence of nature as the lockdowns have brought with them fresh air, clearer skies and the revival of urban wildlife..........

Furthermore, the suspension of all air traffic in most parts of the world, including India and  the lack of vehicular traffic on roads due to the lockdowns have considerably reduced pollution levels and especially eased particulate matter (PM) 2.5 woes........

The rejuvenation of the Earth comes as a succor at the time of anguish and pain to mankind. Every human being pauses, even if it is for a second, to marvel at the beauty of nature and forgets the hardships being faced in this difficult time. If humanity needs a break from this pandemic, the environment needs a break from us."

A more important truth is that humanity needs to get back in touch with their loving Creator. It is a time to practice the discipline of silence and meditation so that we can hear the voice of our Shepherd of love more clearly for ourselves. Only then will we not be deceived and distracted by false teachers who have "depraved minds and a counterfeit faith" which the apostle Paul spoke about in his letter to Timothy:

"They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.) These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith. But they won’t get away with this for long. Someday everyone will recognize what fools they are, just as with Jannes and Jambres." 2 Timothy 3:6-9 NLT

In times like these, we can choose to let fear blind us to God's mercy or drive us to an eye-opening faith in God's amazing grace. It is a time to confess our spiritual blindness so that we can see what God is doing and what He wants us to do. It is a time to confess that we have been lovers of pleasure rather than God and for acting religious and rejecting the power that can make us godly:

"You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!" 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NLT

We are living in chaotic and challenging times. We are in the last days of a world order that is corrupted by the evils of greed, lust and pride manifested through money, sex and power. Our response to the pandemic reveals what is deep within our hearts. Is fear driving out common sense and leading us to react with panic or is faith leading us to see God at work? God is saving the world from the greed, lust and pride of men and awakening the spirit of compassion in those called to follow His Beloved Son.

In such times, Christians are tempted to speculate on the second coming of Christ. But it would be healthier for us and the world if we contemplate our own deaths which is so much more certain and to number their days to gain a heart of wisdom:

"Teach us to number each of our days so that we may grow in wisdom." Psalms 90:12 GW

We do not know when nor what will happen when the world comes to an end. But what is more important is how we are living our lives in the here and now. Our task, according to Albert Einstein, is to free ourselves from the prison of our egos:

"A human being is a part of the whole called by us the universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest  a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and affections for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle or understanding and compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

We can see the social distancing measures as a golden opportunity for Christians to practice "monasticism." This is not following a set of strict rules to deny ourselves but the spiritual discipline of silence and solitude to surrender our lives to Jesus, our Shepherd of Love. It is a practice to experience being the beloved of God so that we can love others as we love ourselves. Social distancing will then become an act of love to reduce the risk of infecting others and not on just protecting ourselves from being infected. Solitude is a time for God to search our hearts and to reveal and remove the sin virus within so that we will not infect others with our anger, envy, greed and gluttony.

Jesus came to set us free so that we can live in God's loving embrace. Only then will we be able to live a life of love. To live is to love for love is the vital essence of life. We are born to be loved and to  love. God is love and we are created in His image. In the 1960s, the Beatles wrote the hit song, "All you need is love." It was a song that the protestors of the Vietnam sang and it was the motto of the hippie generation. But it is not the sentimental and fickle human love that we need - it is the agape love of God that we desperately need to know, understand and receive. It is also a desire that God has placed deep in our hearts which Gerald May has described so well:

"There is a desire within each of us, in the deep centre of ourselves that we call our heart. We were born with it, it is never completely satisfied, and it never dies. We are often unaware of it, but it is always awake. It is the human desire for love. Every person on this earth yearns to love, to be loved, to know love. Our true identity, our reason for being, is to be found in the desire."

May the Covid 19 virus drive us to the loving embrace of God's love. What we need most at this time is a love for one another and the spiritual vision to see heaven everyday in every person. Let us pray that we may be awakened to see that we are all God's beloved for God is our Abba, Heavenly Father:

"Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for thee,
Ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!"