Covid-19 and those “Beneath life’s crushing load”

 

Tragedies caused by Covid-19 can certainly be called one of life’s crushing loads. As of this morning, more than 1,700,000 people have died around the world. I estimate that for each one, at least fifty family members and friends are grieving. That number comes to 85,000,000 people mourning those deaths. That’s probably a low figure, and it will continue to grow.

 

Add to that financial disasters to businesses and employees, the enormous emotional and physical toll on first responders and healthcare workers, and people being evicted from their homes.

 

Add to that the isolation so many are experiencing from families at Thanksgiving and Christmas, teachers exhausted as they teach online instead of in person, and students struggling to keep up with their lessons.

 

Add to that careworn parents trying to work from home and supervise kids and help them with their schoolwork—all at the same time. Families are struggling financially because breadwinners have lost their jobs. Thousands every day wait in line for food. Others have enormous medical bills. Those recovering from the virus can have long-term health issues, making it difficult for them to get back on their feet.

 

And doctors and scientists are concerned over a sometimes-deadly syndrome related to Covid-19 which effects children’s “heart, lungs, blood vessels, kidneys, digestive system, brain, skin or eyes.”

 

Now there’s news that the coronavirus has mutated in England, and probably has reached other nations as well, and that the new strain spreads much more quickly than we’ve seen so far.

 

And that just scratches the surface when it comes to Covid-19.

 

In addition, in recent months our nation has experienced political unrest, violence in streets, racial tensions, and significant disagreements among Christian denominations.

 

That’s a lot of heartache to bear.

 

And I’m sure you’ll agree: All of this has added an element of sadness to this Christmas season.

 

In my family, we have our own layers of sadness, but really: We have little to complain about compared to millions of families that have many more problems than we do.

 

I ran across this artwork (see photo below) in an antique Christmas book and its caption took my breath away. “Ye, beneath life’s crushing load,” words from the beloved song, “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.”

 

The words are so familiar to me—I’ve sung the song for as long as I can remember.

 

But this year, those words take on deeper meaning. I’m glad they caught my attention and jostled my heart and made me care more deeply.

 

Sometimes we want to block out the grimness of a time like this—we desperately want to ease our pain. We grab hold of distractions like Christmas parties and movies and music and decorations and gift-giving.

 

And yet, it’s good to step aside from our giddy Christmas festivities to pray for those suffering around us, in our nation, and around the world—those staggering beneath life’s crushing load.

 

But let’s go beyond that—let’s remember the suffering and sadness we have experienced in the past, and let’s remember the ways God stuck with us and got us through to the other side of the pain.

 

Remember the people He used, the Bible verses, the sermons, the stories He used to minister to us and keep us from going under.

 

Let’s always remember the good God brought to us within our past heartaches and sufferings. And then let’s comfort others with the comfort He has given us (1 Corinthians 1:3-4). How? By telling them our stories.

 

“Listen to your life,” wrote Frederick Buechner. “See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and  hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.” (Frederick Buechner, Now and Then)

 

Marlene Bagnull wrote, “I discovered the answers he [God] had given me could be a source of help and reassurance to others who asked . . . ‘How Much Longer, Lord?’ . . . I sensed the most difficult things for me to share could be the very words someone else needed to read.” (Marlene Bagnull, Write His Answer)

 

Which people did God use to comfort you when you were staggering beneath life’s crushing load? Thank God for them, (and thank them, too, if you can). Then pass it on: Share your stories with others.

 

Search your mind and heart for stories you need to include in your memoir, stories that will bless and encourage readers.

 

You don’t know what’s in the future—you can’t know now what will be happening in the lives of your kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, and all the others who will someday read your memoir.

 

Right now you can’t know what crushing loads your readers will be carrying.

 

But this is what you can do right now: Ask God to help you remember the good He brought out of your past heartaches and disasters. Dig deeply, layer by layer, and find the gems. Connect the dots.

 

Spend time recalling specifics of your situation,

Bible verses that made a difference,

God’s answer to prayers,

and people who loved you and stuck by your side.

 

And then, ask God to help you write your stories.

Ask Him to use them to give others

courage and hope and faith,

stories that will help them persevere

beneath life’s crushing load.

 

Have our nation’s recent crises led you to search for different ways or truer answers?

Devastation can knock the air out of us, and let’s face it: Devastation has surrounded us the past six months, including the astounding number of Covid-19 deaths in the US, 210,464 as of today. For every single person who has died, dozens if not hundreds of other people are in mourning, maybe you. Lives will never be the same. 

Those who survive Covid-19 can suffer long-term health problems and additional significant ripple effects, including financial strains. 

The Covid-19 pandemic caused the loss of employment for millions and millions of people—maybe you, maybe your kids. Way too many are now homeless. Others have lost their entire businesses and life savings—maybe you, maybe someone you know and love. 

In the past couple of days, we’ve learned that increasing and alarming numbers of people at top levels of our government are sick with Covid-19. And today we learned that numerous top-level Pentagon officials have quarantined after spending time with someone who tested positive for Covid. Talk about a national security emergency! 

Our nation’s students and their teachers—bless their hearts—struggle day by day, month by month, while doing education at home or online. And while I wholeheartedly understand the need to educate in that manner, and I support that decision, I also grieve for those children whose schools used to offer them food and shelter. And I wonder about scars that will be left on our youngsters who are missing the benefits of in-person classes and other group activities—sports, for example. How will their unusual schooling impact their education as a whole and their ability to do well in college? 

We hear reports of increased child abuse and spousal abuse among those confined to their homes during necessary shutdowns. We hear that divorces are on the rise. We hear of suicides. 

Other recent devastations include racial tensions, political tensions, and horrific hurricanes and tropical storms, one after another, hitting our Gulf Coast. 

And then there are the history-making wildfires in California and other wildfires in Oregon and Washington. The town that’s home to my aunt and uncle and numerous cousins burned to the ground in eastern Washington State. The ripple effect is staggering. 

You’ve experienced heartbreak and tragedy. You know it only too well. Sometimes we cause our own disasters, but other times we’re innocent victims of someone else’s choices and actions. Such devastations can bring us to our knees. 

And there, within that place of crisis, we can—if we will—discover that during our most painful times, God hands us an opportunity: a chance to learn our most important lessons. 

Sorrows can wrench us out of places we never should have wandered: Anguish can break down our stubbornness and make us willing, finally, to embrace a holy discontent with things that are not right in our lives. 

M. Scott Peck worded it this way: 

“. . . Our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.” 

This week, look at the really tough things you’ve recently experienced, 

and consider the suffering of those around you. 

Stand back, examine, ponder, question, pray. 

Have these tragic events led you to recognize, 

and even welcome, 

a holy discontent over things that are not right in your life? 

If so, write about that. 

Are recent devastations propelling you out of your ruts? 

Have they led you to search for different ways or truer answers? 

If so, write about that. 

Other people need to know your story— 

they want learn from you how to handle their own devastations.