I was recently reminded of an old children’s story. It’s the story of Chicken Little. Chicken Little seemed to be the stereotypical worrywart. One day while eating, an acorn fell and hit him in the head. Fearing the worst, he began panicking and repeating, “The sky is falling, the sky is falling…” He ran to find Turkey Lurkey and the rest of his friends. To every person he came in contact with, he exclaimed, “The sky is falling!!” Eventually, they come in contact with the sly fox who invites them into his home under the ruse of protection. They very quickly realize his true intentions are to eat them so they run away to the king. Upon contact with the king, Chicken Little begins to tell his story of how the sky is falling. The wise king states, “No, Chicken Little. The sky isn’t falling. An acorn fell on your head,” as he reaches to retrieve the acorn from atop his head. This little story reminded me of how we all tend to automatically go to the worst-case scenario when something starts going wrong in our lives. This type of response is exactly what is happening in our world right now. So many people are paralyzed in fear because of COVID-19, a strand of the Coronavirus. The media is whipping the world into a mad frenzy over what might happen. Many are so focused on their fears, they can’t seem to concentrate on much else.
My intention is not to minimize anything in regards to this sickness. I believe it is a real thing. But do I think it’s necessary to live in fear? Absolutely not. Fear is a waste of time. It gets us nowhere and accomplishes nothing except to steal the peace God gives us. 2 Timothy 1:7 states, “For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” What this world needs right now is a sound mind. Fear is not from God. It’s from the enemy. While the sly old fox (Satan) is attempting to lure us in and destroy us, we should be running to the King of Kings. He holds the answers to whatever ails us. This is the time believers should be standing up to remind everyone of the miracle working power of our God. This is the time we should be proclaiming from the mountaintop where true peace comes from. This moment is an opportune time to lift our voices and proclaim the greatness of our God. While the world would have us live in fear while capitalizing on our frantic purchases of anything we think will keep us safe, we can posture ourselves in such a way that the world around us will desire the peace we live and walk in. Realizing, in ourselves, we have no power to heal or overcome anything. But we know Someone who can!
Closing remarks and encouragement: Sicknesses will come and go. History has shown us that (i.e.-Ebola, the swine flu, the bird flu, H1N1, and more). But God never changes. He is the Great Physician. He is a Healing God. Let’s link arms with other believers and be the Church to a world that is lost and dying; and not necessarily dying because of this particular sickness. The sickness that plagues us is much more dangerous. As believers, we are living in the spotlight whether we want to or not. Unbelievers are watching us. As they watch, let them see you walk in a peace that passes all understanding. We have exactly what they need. Let’s give it freely!
Have a blessed week, my friends!
Photo by Kristopher Roller on Unsplash