Lessons I learned from the Recent Sickness and Near Death of a Family Friend from Corona Virus:
What has prompted me to write this musing? This year has been particularly challenging for all of us around the globe because of this nuisance virus called Covid19. Short for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the respiratory illness caused by SARS-CoV-2. A Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the name given to the novel coronavirus which first appeared in Wuhan, China, in 2019.
It has affected me personally because a very close family friend was infected and it nearly cost her, her life. This made me re-think things that matter most in life. God has taught us hard lessons through this experience. But all in all, it’s a journey that I will never forget.
And in no particular order here are the lessons I learned from the near death experience of my beloved friend:
1. Material Things Don’t Matter.
There are many, many occasions that I wonder what to give to a person; especially during birthdays and at Christmas time. The number of shoes, bags, mugs, pens and material gifts given to us are forgotten. The most relevant gifts that you can give are those that can be used over and over again or cheerfully used; these are the ones that form happy memories. I think fondly of a few hours spent with loved ones over a good meal and think that this is far more valuable than any Rolex watch or Gucci dress. So now, I have resolved myself to give more of either cash gifts, or experiences like eating out, a spa time, travel and tours like cooking tours, a walking and food tour, etc. It is the gifts that are given in love with a personal touch, that are the most treasured.
2. A Godly man leaves an Inheritance. (Proverbs 13:22)
Aside from preparing spiritually, one of the things that has crossed my mind during this unfortunate event was that death is inevitable so we should prepare for it. Especially preparing to pass on generational wealth to our children. We should prepare our family, our spouse, our children and ourselves for our demise. We should ensure that we have life, health and retirement insurance. We should try to have savings that will last us for 3-6 months without having to work physically for it. We should not only work hard but work smart. We should invest in stable investment ventures not “get rich quick schemes”. We should leave not only a spiritual inheritance but should educate our children on financial intelligence and wellbeing. Remember the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30? We should set a time to study and be literate with investing, business, finances and money. We should use our time, talents and treasures: the 3 T’s for the Kingdom of God, while we have time. Don’t delay!
3. Death is not the end. It’s only the beginning of
another Chapter in Life.
We are a triune being. We are like eggs. We are composed of a shell, an egg white and a yolk. Our shell is our body, the egg white is the soul and the yolk is our spirit. Sometimes, these three are divisive and death is where the soul and spirit leaves the body. At the end of our Earthly life, we are to be judged by our Maker. The friend who nearly died, was in a coma and I am sure that her soul was floating somewhere. I think our soul experiences somewhat of a dream if this happens. I haven’t spoken to her at length about it but I am thinking of interviewing her regarding this. However, I am sure of this, we are all just passing through in this life, we need to make the most out of it to be of service to God and to others by finding our God-given mission in life.
4. Stress affects our immunity.
Of the whole congregation who attended that fateful Sunday service, only a select few were not infected with the virus. Everyone was exposed and yet, I know of only one person who wasn’t infected. Everyone had a range of different symptoms but generally, all of them except my beloved sister in Christ, were back on their feet after a week or so. I think that the length of time of exposure as well as the amount of stress she was experiencing at that time, exacerbated the disease. There are many sources of stress such as work; especially if you do not enjoy the job. At times, the people around us can cause stress. Some people have a more anxious nature which is unhealthy. Even our lifestyle; our diet, sleep patterns, and leisure activities greatly affect our stress levels. We should, as much as is possible, find how to decrease, or better yet; eliminate causes of stress, remembering that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we should take care of it.
Some Stress contributors:
Comparing ourselves with others
Complaining
Rumour mongering
Being over-fatigued
Being in a hurry all the time
Being argumentative
Being mean
Shouting
All activities that affect us negatively
Some Ways to Reduce Stress:
Hugging a tree
Smiling
Forgiving
Praying
Sunshine exposure for 15 minutes everyday
Being in the middle of a garden with trees and flowers
Being kind
Gratitude
Sleeping on time and enough
Enjoying things that you love
Spending time with people you love
Relaxing Music
Going to a spa
Talking to People who inspires you
Gardening
5. God is everywhere.
In Hebrews 10: 25 it tells us to not give up meeting with one another and I whole heartedly agree with the Apostle Paul. However, there is a caveat. We should consider our safety and the safety of others especially in the light of current events and the signs of the times. We should remember that a single mistake may be fatal. While it is our responsibility to forgive others, and in turn hope to be forgiven by others, we should not (knowingly) put others at risk. In the same way as I wouldn’t drink and drive, I should be careful to protect people from Covid. I thank God that my dear friend was completely in His hands and even had she passed away she would have been in paradise. However, I am overjoyed that He spared her and gave her back to us. I hope that the church will remember the love of Christ and prayerfully learned lessons from this event that nearly cost somebody their life.
We are blessed at this time with so many online platforms like Facebook, Skype, Youtube, Zoom, etc. that we should consider online services if there is ever a flareup of Covid (or its variants) again.
I remember the woman at the well when Jesus told her in John 4: 21, 23 and 24, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” With the spread of the virus through personal contacts, Christians should be able to adjust and adapt during lockdowns, social distancing, etc. As the saying goes, have faith but lock your door. True worshippers should start to worship in spirit and in truth. We should explore other ways of meaningful praise and worship.
6. Life is fragile.
There she is lying in the hospital bed, with life support. Many memories of the past came across my mind: The meals we had together. The many special occasions we enjoyed together as a family even though they are not blood relatives of mine. The laughter and jokes we shared. I realised that no matter how holy a person is, we still get tired, sick and despondent. As Matthew 5:45 says, the sun rises on the evil and the good. The rain falls for the just and the unjust. It doesn’t matter if you believe in God or not, you will still fall if you jump out of a building. Gravity isn’t a respecter of person. Just like any other virus, it doesn’t matter if you’re a Christian or not, you will get this virus if you had enough exposure and your immune system gives way. It doesn’t matter if you’re a celebrity or not, this virus could kill you. It doesn’t matter if you’re popular or not, you can get affected by this virus. We are still on Earth and therefore, we should abide by the laws of nature. Be extra careful, please. Don’t be complacent.
7. Dreams are sometimes messages from God.
A dream might be coming from the Mexican tortilla you ate last night, from the day’s events, from our past memories and I believe (with no reservations), that a dream might be an intervention or a message from God. Spiritual dreams can come from people in all walks of life but God also uses dreams to talk to His people and sometimes they come from very unexpected people. For instance, Nebucchadnezzar and Pharaoh had dreams which greatly affected Abraham’s children. And of course, Mary and Joseph had dreams which provided essential guidance with the birth of Jesus.
Unbeknownst to me, I had a warning dream about COVID decimating our church, and unfortunately it only because clear in hindsight. I dreamt about a gunman trying to shoot me down in a crowd of people. Many people were hit and wounded. Some were hit on the shoulders, arms or legs but I kept running fast and hiding while he was shooting. In the last scene of the dream, I hid behind a pillar and I was surrounded by people who were panicking and cowering for their lives. Then I woke up. Was this dream a form of warning that the congregation in church would be attacked with the virus? This dream prompted me to research about dream interpretation from a Biblical perspective. And I now feel sure that my dream meant that somebody in the spiritual realm was trying to harm me and those around me. Whilst I certainly feel that we should keep a level head, I also feel that we should never ignore what God is trying to tell us through dreams like these.
8. Time and chance happen to all.
Ecclesiastes 9: 11 says “I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.”
And so it is with getting this virus, you have to be at the wrong place at the wrong time to get it. I pray for Isaiah 30: 21 for your life … “And whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.” We must remember that it is God who gives life and preserves our life and that we should always listen to His wisdom in all things and in all ways.
9. Many things in life are personal and individual and one’s salvation especially so.
COVID is particularly monstrous; when this sister in Christ lapsed into a coma, no one was able to visit her or be with her physically. No visitors allowed, not even her family members. No one can send flowers or even give her a reassuring touch on her forearm to say that everything would be alright because of the high risk of being contaminated yourself. No one can be there for her physically. And so she is left there alone, isolated. Only the doctors, nurses and hospital staff were there for her. They became her temporary family. Although we were all praying for her; the physical isolation, took a toll on her. Of course, she might have questioned God and thought that she might not come back home. And so it is with this sickness. The virus isolates us from everyone and everything we are accustomed to and hold dear. COVID has demanded so much from us all and tested many of us to beyond breaking point even in our faith. And so it will be at the end of our lives, our salvation is personal, not corporate. We will stand before God, the Almighty and be judged upon our relationship with His Son. It will not matter if our brother or sister is a saint, that will not save us, only the blood of Christ will save us.
10. Be grateful for every "normal" day.
Did you know that there is a thing called akathesia? This is the inability to sit still and the sufferer constantly moves and fidgets. Many people moan or complain about their colleagues at work, their bosses, their job, their spouse or the government, etc. and they forget that the ability to sit still and hear the birds singing is a miracle. Everyday we are alive is a miracle. We should be thankful that we are not in a hospital. We should be thankful that we are not in the emergency room. We should be thankful that we are not in a morgue. We should be thankful that we are not in a police station. We should be thankful that we can breathe. We should be thankful for this seemingly “normal” day. We should never take things things for granted. We should be more appreciative of what we have.
We should give thanks, in all circumstances. (1 Thessalonians 5: 18).
