How Should Christians Respond To The Coronavirus? My Family's Close Encounter
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Note: I am not a medical doctor. Please do not take my writing to be any form of medical advice. It is for informational purposes only.
With all the turmoil that the current coronavirus outbreak is causing, my friend A reached out to me and asked if I would consider sharing my family’s experience with it. While I never would have thought to do so on my own, I felt that her suggestion was excellent. As she pointed out, nearly all of what we’re hearing on the news and in the media is story after story of grave illness and high death tolls, but my family’s situation is an amazing story of God’s healing and provision. My hope with sharing about my family’s story is that it will help to answer the burning question, “How should Christians respond to the coronavirus?”
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Back in January of this year, my grandma and her husband had a planned cruise to Japan. Because they are both older and because he had been experiencing some health concerns prior to the trip, we were a bit nervous about their going but hoped that everything would go smoothly for them. All went well at first, and they thoroughly enjoyed their experience touring the beautiful Japanese islands and taking in the culture.
Just a few days before they were to head home, the coronavirus outbreak in China hit the news, and my grandparents received word that their ship would be quarantined off the coast of Japan for up to two weeks before they would be allowed to return to the States. They had made one stop in Hong Kong and had picked up a single passenger from there, so authorities felt that the extra caution was warranted.
Sure enough, a few days after the quarantine began, several passengers tested positive for coronavirus. Ultimately, many of those aboard contracted corona, including both my grandma and her husband, as well as one of their two traveling companions.
Because the ship was being closely watched, Grammie and C received immediate medical attention. As soon as it was confirmed that they did, indeed, have corona, they were transferred off the ship and taken by ambulance to a hospital in Tokyo. There in the hospital, they received expert care. Miraculously, they were allowed to be in the same hospital room, a blessing that previously had not been extended to spouses. (Clearly, God’s hand was with them through this entire ordeal.)
Grammie experienced a very mild case of corona. She said she had a low fever and headache, but otherwise was not much worse for wear. C had a much more severe case requiring IV fluids, oxygen, and careful monitoring. He ended up developing pneumonia, which actually returned a second time after the first onset was cleared up with antibiotics.
We had friends, family, and strangers alike praying for them around the globe. We checked our cell phones every few minutes for updates, not knowing what to expect.
But God.
He saw fit to answer our prayers just as we hoped. After several weeks in the hospital regaining strength and waiting on test after test to prove that they had fully recovered from the coronavirus, this past Sunday, they returned home!!
My grandparents fit the “typical” description of the demographic who experience poor outcomes when they contract coronavirus. Both are older (88 and 92), and both have COPD, a lung condition that predisposes them to complications from the flu. There were some very key factors at play, however, that ultimately resulted in their complete healing and homecoming:
Many people prayed
They received immediate, excellent medical attention
They had one another
I hope that by sharing this amazing outcome, I can encourage other believers amid the chaos that is running rampant in parts of our country. This one story of healing does not diminish the stories where a happy ending was not the case, nor does it mean that if you or one of your loved ones gets corona, that they will recover just as Grammie and C did.
But it does mean that we serve an almighty God who is in complete control of this situation. It does mean that there are stories of hope. And it means that there are things we can do and precautions we can take without losing our minds over everything.
Based on my grandparents’ experience with the coronavirus, below are some suggestions that might help us as we try to determine how Christians ought to respond to the outbreak.
Pray
I can’t stress enough the fact that I fully believe it is because of everyone’s prayers that my grandparents were able to come home. Christians have the incredible blessing of being able to come before the Father in prayer. We need to pray in all things, and praying about the outbreak, praying for those affected, and praying for the safety of those who have not yet had it is one of the best things we can be doing.
We should also be thanking the Lord for stories like my grandparents’, where God chose to heal. We won’t hear them on the news and may never know how many people have actually recovered just fine from coronavirus, but there are certainly many instances of healing to rejoice over. He deserves praise for all He has done, whether or not we’re personally aware of how He is working.
Do Prepare But Don’t Panic
It needs to be said: the news media loves a good panic story to help fuel their revenue. While I’m not at all against news stations earning an income, it bothers me that they deliberately stir up the public in order to create a sensation.
Is coronavirus upsetting? Certainly. As my grandparents discovered first-hand, it is more contagious than the “regular” flu. And for certain categories of people who contract it, it seems to have an elevated death rate.
But.
We serve an awesome God, one who is sovereign over all things.
Including coronavirus.
It’s good to be prepared. But we also need to be a voice of reason amid the mayhem. We’ve been through epidemics before (think of SARS, Swine Flu, and Ebola, to name just a few) and have lived through them. Do prepare, but don’t panic. God is in control.
Trust
As I mentioned above, we serve an almighty God. We need to trust that He has all of this in His capable hands. If He does indeed hold the entire world (Isaiah 40:12a), He holds coronavirus, too. He may well be using this outbreak to turn hearts toward Himself. Instead of fretting about what we cannot control, why not use this opportunity to trust Him fully and to share about His love and mercy with a world that is desperate for reassurance and comfort?
Encourage
When Grammie and C were allowed to share a hospital room, we rejoiced. She was able to help him communicate his needs to the nurses and staff, and she and he were able to be there for one another. Right now while not a lot is known or understood about this new virus, we can and should encourage one another not to lose heart.
Show Compassion
I’m not the most compassionate person ever (understatement). I have a very small comfort zone and love things being exactly the same all the time. So when someone is hurt or sick or angry, it causes me anxiety, which results in a lack of compassion. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it is something I’m working on.
Over and over in the Gospels, we read of Jesus’ compassion on sick people, those who are hurting, and on the lost sheep of Israel. Christ exuded compassion everywhere He went, and we need to follow His example.
So, as I consider those who are very unnerved about the coronavirus, I’m trying to put myself in their shoes. Without Christ, it indeed would be extremely scary. While I wish for my own comfort and sanity that the world would just continue on as normal and not stress about this particular virus, I want to have compassion on those who are unnerved by all the uncertainty.
Check on your neighbors and loved ones. Ask how you can be praying for them or helping in this time of need. We need to show compassion, and in doing so, we will also show the love of Christ.
The coronavirus outbreak can be unnerving, but if we focus on stories of hope, remember to pray, prepare without panicking, trust in God’s sovereignty, encourage those around us, and show compassion to the world, we can and will respond to this situation just as the Lord intended us to do.
