What the Corona Virus COVID-19 Pandemic has taught me.

?By Precious Akinbode

I am a firm believer that God does not make mistakes and everything happens for a reason. Eccl 3:1 says to everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven. God is not surprised by what is happening in the world today. As a matter of fact, he has already seen the end of this plague from the beginning.

I am convinced that there are lessons that God wants to use this pandemic to teach us but unfortunately, rather than reflect and think deep on what is happening, so many people are concentrating on the constant negative news and developing anxiety/panic attacks over it. As much as what is happening is scary, we must rise above fear and look at the good that is in this situation as well as the lessons that we should take out of it.

So here are a few points on what I have learnt after deep thought and reflection about this issue:

1)     Heb 9:27. For it is appointed unto man to die once and after this judgement. The main reason why people are scared of this virus is the fear of death.  We will all die one day when our appointed time comes. What we should be scared of is where we will go to after death. Let that sink in!!!

2)     Eccl 12:13. Now let us come to the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. As Christians, we were essentially created to serve God. That’s all!!! Every other thing is minor. The money, the fame, recognition's, positions, everything that we all fight for, crave for, hurt each other for, struggle for are all secondary. They are not the main deal. This morning, I asked myself what have I put as the most important thing in my life over the years. Have I chased God and chased the need to do good and help people the way I have chased material things? Even when I get these things, I still crave for more and when I don’t get it, it feels like God has abandoned me. I can imagine God looking at me like ‘Wow Precious’!!! The thought of this brought pain to my heart. The world has lost touch of what is more important and focusing on the unimportant. We need to fix this issue and we need to use this period of compulsory #stayhome to reflect on how we can do better after this pandemic is over.

3)     Family is everything. I believe God set up us in families as a way of expressing his love for us. For those of us who have kids, Ps 127:3 says Children are a heritage from the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is a reward from him. This pandemic has forced us to stay home and enjoy family time together.  It has reminded us of how important our family and home life is. I can’t get over the joy and smile on my son Jimi’s face these past few days that I have been working from home. He’s hugging, blowing kisses and loving up on mummy and daddy. Even though on a normal day, we try to spend time with him, I can see that this past few days have been extraordinarily amazing for this little man. In today’s fast paced world, we are so busy that we unconsciously pass across the main duty of parenting to teachers and nannies. We prayed for this children and God gave us. Why do we then prioritize other pursuits over being there and being intentional in parenting them? I spoke to a close friend of mine in another country who’s been working from home for 3 weeks and she told me how she’s shocked at how much she’s learnt about her kids these weeks. She feels bad that it took a virus and a compulsory shut down for her to know her kids well.

4)     Finally, COVID 19 has taught me that ALL men are equal. Rom 2:11 says for God is no respecter of persons. If the all-powerful and all-knowing God sees us as equal, why then do we mere mortals consider ourselves more superior or inferior to others? We have created an artificial inequality in the world that has made some people and races more important, powerful and superior than others. And that’s why we unconsciously prioritize certain people over others even when it comes to basic necessities like healthcare and social infrastructures.  Regardless of our financial status, religion, or social status, COVID 19 has come as a leveler and if this doesn’t jolt us up to the reality that we are all equal, then I don’t know what will.

So today, I choose to re-calibrate my life and do things right. I choose not to be governed by fear of the number of deaths and the spread of the virus but to see this period as a second chance that God has given me to make a change in my mode of thinking, my expectations and my actions. I give thanks for the chance to bond intimately with my little family and to appreciate all the blessings around me and I know that God’s great and wonderful plans for me will surely come to pass. I would like to encourage everyone to remove fear and anxiety from your heart. This pandemic will not last forever; it will surely come to an end and soon. So make the most of this compulsory shut down (#stayhome) so that when the world resumes, you would come out a much better version of yourself.

Stay safe, practice good hygiene and may God bless and protect us all. Amen!!!