It’s 2020. The year the world found out how vulnerable it actually was.
An invisible enemy has entered our world, and we are all taking extraordinary precaution against it. Suddenly, we are willing to endure incredible sacrifice and inconvenience for the sake of ourselves and others.
Who would have thought the handshake would be shunned on a global scale? But such is the manifestation of precaution.
At what other time in history have restaurants closed their doors all across North America, all at the same time? Meet precaution.
Who in their right mind would ever have applauded a government for advising it’s entire civilian population to stay at home or to not go to school . . . for over a month! Leave it to precaution.
All of a sudden, precaution has taken center stage.
And rightly so. COVID-19 is deadly.
Ever thought about what else is deadly?
The tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Look diligently, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be contaminated.
They that will be rich fall into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction.
And they that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness . . . shall utterly perish in their own corruption and shall receive the reward of unrighteousness.
These are invisible enemies that lurk about us every day. And we need not wait for them to arrive at our doorstep. They already live inside our very being.
And yet, is our culture so accustomed to their deceitful presence that we have ceased to take necessary precautions against their emotional, relational, and spiritual devastations? What if we suddenly decided to enlist preventative action against these vectors of sin as we do the physical ones?
Let us embrace sensible precaution!
What disciplines do I champion to help me be strong in spirit, just as I champion causes that help me maintain a healthy immune system?
Am I discerning of the counsel I am given, trying the spirits, just as I ferret out the truth from the fiction in the deluge of newly-available information that makes the headlines everyday?
Let us not underestimate the unpredictability of the enemy. Rest in nothing but Divine truth and strength. And keep yourself pure, as you thoroughly wash your hands.
As photographers, we already know the importance of fleeing youthful lusts. Don’t be fooled. The long-term effects of fulfilling the lusts of the eyes right now will have consequences far beyond 2020.
Can we think of others and give ourselves to caring for and anticipating the needs of those who are more needy than ourselves?
Let us capitalize on our freedoms by not going wherever we want to go and doing whatever comes into our heads to do.
Yield your vessel to what it needs to be for your Master today, in these strange times, as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto the Lord. Make your choices in the areas of moral decision ahead of time, as far in advance as the Lord leads.
And it wouldn’t hurt to simply take a minute to imagine for a little while the tangible devastation we would bring upon ourselves and on those we love most if we did not take what we know to be sensible, Biblical, life-saving precaution.
Amen. Excellently said, and vividly illustrated with the accompanying photographs. Thanks for the solid “food for thought”.
Excellent analogy! Spot on! And very applicable photos.