InScribe Writers Online

Thoughts on the Pandemic by Marcia Lee Laycock

Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash

I remember my mother telling me about the Spanish Flu that struck the world on the heals of World War 1. She was an infant, brought to Canada at the age of two months in 1919, so the memories are not hers, but repeated stories her mother had told her. My mother was born prematurely so she was considered at high risk of catching and dying from the virus. That kept my grandmother totally isolated for long stretches of time, venturing out only when they ran out of food. Fear was rampant and no wonder – it is estimated that somewhere between 50 and 100 million people died during that pandemic, most over a two year period, though the pandemic was still in evidence ten years after it began.

The current numbers for Covid 19 are approximately 6 million deaths worldwide, since tracking began in 2020. We all are aware of the hording that took place at the beginning of the pandemic and the supply chain issues currently causing problems across the globe. For most of us seeing bare shelves in the grocery stores was a shock. Chicken livers were the only meat in our local stores at one point. I went home empty-handed. I have lived in the third world so such things weren’t entirely new to me, but seeing it happen here, in Canada, was enough to rattle me.

And the isolation from friends and family had a profound effect. Though I am an introvert who loves my alone time, the longing to be with my children was an ache that was new and not at all welcome. I wept to see seniors peering through windows at their loved ones who were not allowed in to visit.

All of these things have given me a new appreciation for the privileges we so often take for granted. I treasure my time with family and friends much more now and make an effort to be deliberate about pulling myself out of my hermit-like lifestyle.

I savour my favourite foods and thank God for them in a way I never had before, knowing even the basics could disappear at any moment.

The world has now become a much more tentative place – a place where things could change quickly and without remedy. That does create a certain insecurity in us all, but it also has benefits.

We acknowledge the source of all our benefits more now, I believe. We turn to Him more, the words “thank you” more likely to be on our lips. In a sense, many of us have become more like those in the third world, whose dependence on God is in evidence moment by moment. Though that lifestyle can be stressful, it can also drive us to bow before God as we see his provision for our needs. We turn to scriptures like Matthew 6:25-34 where we are admonished not to be anxious but to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33, ESV). And we learn to trust.

Yes, the pandemic has been hard but as it has pushed us out of our comfort zones it has put us on a kind of pilgrimage. And the scripture says, “What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage … (Psalm 84:5, ESV).

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For information on Marcia's writing/speaking/teaching ministry visit her website