The Plague of Cyprian

The year was 260 AD and a dread invader had the Roman Empire on its knees.  It was not the Huns or the Goths or the Vandals.  It was the Plague of Cyprian.

No one knows for sure what this virus was that tormented the Empire for the next several years.  Some speculate that it was Small Pox, but most feel that it was some sort of Hemorrhagic Fever -- possibly something like Ebola.  In the days before gene sequencing and virus tracking websites, you didn't know what disease it was, only that it was bad to get.  Really bad.

Death was everywhere.  At one point 5000 people were dying every day in the city of Rome.  Even the wealthy were not exempt as two emperors fell beneath its scourge.

People fled from those afflicted with this disease, afraid to be even with their family members who were dying with it.  Only the Christians in communities remained behind to care for the sick and dying.

It is written that those Christians dressed the sores of those sick with the disease.  They brought food to those in need.  They did this in spite of the fact that many of the Christians ended up catching and dying from the same illness the people they were caring for had.

Even as Christians died, Christianity grew.  It wasn't just the love that they showed that convinced unbelievers to join with them.  Rather, it was their fearlessness and joy in the face of a hemorrhagic fever that had no earthly treatment.

I look at my response to COVID 19 and wonder if I have the faith that my forefathers had?  Do I have a love for others that conquers my fears?

Adversity does not just build character, it reveals it.  Those of us who claim to love Jesus would do well to show it through our willingness to provide hope and comfort and care for those in need.

We should abide by social isolation -- not because we are afraid, but because we love those around us.  At the same time, as servants of Jesus, our hearts and minds should be ready to give, to help and to support those who are in need.

1800 years ago a plague built up the church, even as it wiped out its members.  There is even more need for the hope Christians have today.   I pray that we might serve Jesus today and that He would replace our fear with love.

Some Coronavirus Thoughts

Coronavirus is coming.

Some say it is already here.

It started off floating across Hubei Province on silent bat wings.  It touched down in Seoul and Osaka.  Then soared across the ocean to Milan and Madrid, headed to the New World.

Quickly and inexorably it flies.  It touches the lives of oldest among us, those with four score years of experience and silences them, except for the metallic sound of the ventilator.

It has brought with it anger -- anger at a lack of testing and anger at long lines at airports because of testing.  It has brought anger at the president and anger at the Democrats.  Most of all, it has brought anger at both those who take it seriously and anger at those who don't take it seriously enough.

Even more, fear has settled over society.  It is a fear of lack -- of inadequate food, antibacterial gels, and toilet paper.  It is a fear that the government officials and doctors and scientists don't really know what they are doing.  Most of all, it is a fear of death in all of its forms -- even death that comes from China on silent bat wings.

I sit in my home and think about all of this.  I see the darkness that is engulfing those around me and wonder if the light can overcome.  What does hope look like in a pandemic?

Out of my window I can see a peach tree.  All winter it has stood, bare and gnarled, but now it blooms a brilliant pink.

It knows nothing of Hubei and Italy, of viruses and vaccines.  It only knows that spring is coming and the One who gave it life has promised that seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, day and night shall not cease.

Until He comes...

COVID 19

"Dr. Waldron," the older lady said.  "Do I need to worry about all this virus stuff?"

"Well, Ms. Edna," I said.  "It is a little hard to say..."  And with that, my mind began to race along different paths.

This "Virus Stuff" has a name, given by the scientific community.  It is COVID 19 and while it first showed up in China, it has since spread to over 50 countries and 120,000 people and has caused over 4000 deaths.

It showed up like an unwanted and unexpected visitor to disrupt business and travel, handshakes and hugs, sporting events and church services.  I suppose the hardest thing about it is it's newness.  Even the experts just don't know that much about it yet.

Unlike Influenza, which shows up every year, has a season and then goes away, we haven't seen this particular virus before.  We have no specific treatment for it and we don't know how long it will stick around in our various communities.  We only know that it is really contagious and that it is particularly hard on people older than 70.

As I read various posts, it seems that many are polarized, with some claiming that this is just an extra strong "flu" while others are buying up all the toilet paper in Walmart, "just in case."  It is not surprising that anxiety levels are climbing and it certainly is not entirely due to the media overinflating the story.

The Coronavirus is a big deal.  For people under the age of 70, the death rate is under 1 percent, but for people between 70 and 80 years of age, the death rate was 8 percent in China and for people over age 80, the death rate went up to 15 percent.

The problems result from a combination of things.  First of all, there is no magic symptom that tells you that you have this new virus.  The number one symptom is fever, which is as generic as they come.  Other symptoms include cough and shortness of breath.

Then, testing takes a minimum of two to three days, during which time Americans are notoriously bad at self-quarantining.  If we don't feel too bad, we tend to keep doing normal activities, spreading the virus around our church and work families without too much thought.  Most people probably start shedding virus several days before they have symptoms.

Finally, there is no special treatment for COVID 19.  Antibiotics and to this point most anti-viral agents don't seem effective against it.  Our care for the sickest people with this virus is primarily supportive until their body's immune system can over come it.

It is into this situation that public health officials can probably make the biggest difference.  Limiting large groups meeting can halt the spread of the illness.  Maybe it seems silly to be so aggressive with a "flu bug," but on the other hand, it is far better to be overly aggressive with canceling meetings and events and have this virus stop spreading, than to continue blithely on and wish we had done more when there were only a few thousand cases in our country.

China has been able to contain this virus, but only after 80,000 people got the virus and only with really aggressive quarantine measures.  It is important for us to learn the lessons they learned on ground zero.

We should take it seriously, but also remember that there are bigger hands than ours in control.  Thousands of years ago, the Psalmist wrote, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea..." (Psalm 46:1,2).

We can have confidence.  Our health care workers will do all they can to take care of people in need, but most of all, our God will be the refuge and place of safety for us to go to when everything seems designed to produce anxiety in the hardest headed of us.

So I come back to a simple verse I learned a long time ago.  "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." 

I don't have all the answers and neither do all of the public officials in charge of the Coronavirus response.  But God is never at a loss and when I am most afraid, that is also when I need to trust Him most.