The Very Best Gift
Here in our region of California, we’re seeing a major uptick in the number of COVID-19 infections. Back in June and July it was easy for many – particularly in our more naturally distanced rural communities to think of this pandemic as something that was in the news but not really affecting our day-to-day lives. Now it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t personally know individuals who have been infected.
We see many different responses to this challenging time. Unfortunately, many of those responses are inward focused rather than outward focused. The reaction is based on what best meets the needs and desires of a single individual.
A better way
Jesus Christ taught us a better way. When asked what was the most important thing to do in our lives he answered:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)
One of the ways I can show my love for God is by loving his children. That means I’m going to act in ways that are designed to protect them. Whatever my personal belief is about the efficacy of masks and social distancing, I can demonstrate love for my neighbor – and my personal freedom – by proactively taking steps to make them feel safe with me.
That doesn’t mean that we hunker down and close the shutters until it all blows over. We have a mandate to care for our neighbors. In a time when isolation and alienation are also growing pandemics, there is an imperative need to reach out to individuals. There are so many who need rescue, who find seemingly insurmountable borders confining their lives. They need someone to see them. To hear them. To walk with them. Your open friendship, no matter how insignificant it may seem to you, can be the lifeline someone else needs.
A changed perspective
I love this insight so eloquently expressed by Sharon Eubank
Is there anyone who is for some reason on the periphery… for any reason... so they are not fully participating in the circle? Can we think of them as brothers and sisters? Can we serve them? If we change our perspective so that caring for [others] is less about giving away stuff and more about filling the hunger for human contact, then the Lord can send us some place... Remember that in the same way as the Savior, you yourself are one of the best gifts you can give others in need. (Sharon Eubank, Turning Enemies into Friends, BYU Speeches, January 23, 2018)
Connecting with others in ways that keep them safe requires some creativity. A wave through the window, raking their leaves, visiting outside on their porch, phone or video calls, letters, and many other options are available to us to consistently and safely connect with others.
The global pandemic hasn’t altered the most important commandments. So let’s apply the ingenuity we’ve been given and find ways to demonstrate our love for God by demonstrating our love for our neighbor. May it be said of us, as it was said of our Savior Jesus Christ, that we were anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power, and went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed (Acts 10:38).