Lead with love

In Ohio yesterday, the theme of the press conference was that we each have a responsibility to do the right thing for those around us. The Governor urged us to protect each other. He reminded us that we have the moral obligation to do so. He said that there might not be another time that our own action or inaction will impact the lives of so many of our citizens. He even referenced that the term “love thy neighbor as yourself” is as old as the scriptures and something we all believe.

This was one of my favorite “quotes” from the press conference.

“In the end, no order and no law will be as successful as a well-informed public who simply cares and respects each other.”

Jon Husted, Lieutenant Governor of Ohio

It doesn’t always feel that society as a whole is loving others as themselves or abiding by a moral obligation to protect each other. It doesn’t feel like the priority is to care for and respect each other.

But I wish it was. It should be.

Shortly before Jesus died he said…

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:34-35

Christians should be known and identified by how they love others. Jesus called us to lead with love. He called us to put others ahead of ourselves.

One of my growing concerns is how Christians (as a whole) will be viewed regarding this pandemic. Historically, Christians have often been seen as hypocritical and judgmental. People have stereotyped Christians as not really being about love because they seem to be more concerned with people lining up with their beliefs. If the beliefs don’t line up, they will be judged and not accepted. Where is the love in that? These thoughts or perceptions do not emulate Jesus. This has kept many from pursuing Him.

Right now we are in the midst of a global pandemic. We now have 5 million cases worldwide. We also know that the numbers are probably a lot higher since testing hasn’t been where it should be, especially here in the U.S. Globally we have over 325,000 deaths.

Yet, too frequently, I have seen Christians more concerned with conspiracy theories, lack of freedom, wearing masks, the economy or just not believing there is even anything to be concerned about.

Before I move on, I wanted to further address those worried about the economy due to job loss. I know that I come from a privileged place. My family has not lost employment or experienced financial loss due to this pandemic. I know that is reality for some. That is a real struggle. I am not minimizing the importance of being able to earn an income for your family. I understand that is a legitimate concern. I sympathize with the need to get the economy open in order for people to get their jobs back. My concern is more about people that are putting their desire to have things open and at their disposal over the care and concern of people’s safety and health. Opening the economy and finding ways to get people back to work safely is NOT a bad thing, but valuing money or a stable economy over people’s lives is.

Side note: I obviously don’t see as much news about other countries so I don’t know how they are responding to their restrictions. But it feels like we have so much discord and lack of unity. We seem to have a lot of people that are not willing or content with submitting to our governmental authority. We also, by far, have the most cases and deaths. I wonder if those are related at all.

I wonder how that represents Jesus. I wonder if people watching can see Jesus’ love in that response.

Millions of people are or have been sick. Some of those cases have been pretty bad. Hundreds of thousands of them have or will die. Yet, so many people are more concerned with poking holes in what the experts have to say or fight against precautions the government has put into place. Thousands of people are dying each day to a new virus and some people’s first thoughts don’t seem to be concern for the well being of people. Where is the love in that?

This is not okay. No matter how we feel about the virus or the response, we must put people’s well-being ahead of our own thoughts, feelings and comfort level.

Why aren’t Christians the first ones lining up to take on whatever precautions may keep more people alive? Why aren’t we the first ones doing what it takes to minimize the effects of the virus?

Jesus came to Earth and showed us what unconditional unselfish love looks like. He came to heal the sick, help the poor and love everyone. Jesus led with love.

Our loudest voices should be about love and care, not conspiracy theories and complaints about how uncomfortable the restrictions and guidelines are. This is what I believe would be showing the love of Jesus.

Not all of us have been personally affected by someone we know or love having Covid19. But I bet we are all connected to someone that is high risk. I bet we all know someone, if not ourselves, that could really be put at risk if they were to get this virus.

No one knows exactly what do to do or how to handle this virus because it is new. None of us have ever lived through a global pandemic like this before. I believe that the experts are doing their best to protect us. I choose to believe they know a lot more than I do about what I need to be protected from.

Nothing feels normal or comfortable right now. Nothing IS normal or comfortable right now. We are in the midst of a global pandemic. Life should not go on as normal when we have a pandemic on our hands. It should give us pause that we are just days away from 100,000 Americans and over 350,000 worldwide losing their lives to this virus. So for a season, I need to learn to live in uncertainty. I am going to get as comfortable as I can with a lack of normal and a lack of comfort.

At the end of the day I would rather be wrong about the extra precautions that I took than to be wrong after taking on unnecessary risks. I will wear a mask in public, I will socially distance myself from others, I will keep my social circle small, I will limit my interactions with the public, and I will alter my life temporarily to help keep other people safe. The alternative is to ignore it, go about my business as much as I can and risk more people losing their lives.

That is a risk I am not willing to take.

#ThoughtsofBridget

Bridget’s Blog Reboot…I think

I was recently listening to a podcast about the Enneagram (of course). It was a panel discussion. One girl, who is an Enneagram 3, shared that she used to think she was an Enneagram 2 (so did I) because she wanted to be liked by others. But then she realized that she wanted people to like her more than they liked anyone else. She wanted to be liked the best. This really resonated with me. I realize that I can’t be everyone’s favorite, but I would sure like to be!

I remember in 6th grade my best friend told me she had 3 best friends. THREE. I was devastated. Yes, I was one of the three, but still. I don’t know if I was more bothered by the fact that she had THREE best friends (which seemed wrong by the mere sense of the word) or that I wasn’t standing out as her favorite. Update: I recovered. We are still friends. 41 years strong.

I want to matter. I want to matter to the people in my life. I want my words to matter. I want to do thing that matter for others.

And I want to be successful doing it.

I’ve been wanting to have a blog for several years. I have written a few times here and there but, I’ve never been able to stick with it. I think because I didn’t think that what I had to say mattered enough. My life isn’t that interesting. I am not sure I have that much to contribute that will matter to you.

The more accurate thing is that I DO think that what I have to say matters, but I am not sure that other people would agree. What I do does matter..but I don’t get to choose who it matters to. I think that is the hard part.

So it isn’t so much that I devalue myself but maybe that people haven’t figured out or understood my value. I am not sure what that says about myself. Maybe I have an inflated view of myself.

I love to share. Probably too much. I feel incomplete until I’ve shared something. Sometimes I just need to share with one person, sometimes it is with several. Sometimes sharing with myself (journaling) is enough, but not often.

I simultaneously desire to share while being fearful of it. I second guess myself – a lot. I rewrite texts and internet posts often. You should see how many times I’ve edited and added to this post over the last 2 or 3 days.

I used to think I didn’t care what people think. I now know that isn’t true. I do care. So much. Too much.

I want to matter, but fear that I will fail to matter. I want to share but fear that it will be meant with a lack of interest, misunderstanding or conflict. I want to share but fear that I don’t have enough knowledge to know what I am talking about.

One of my goals for 2020 was to be more vulnerable. To be willing to share more of myself and to be more honest with how I feel.

So here I go.

I did not intend for that to mean that I was going to write about it and share if publicly. Side Note: I wanted a better name for this blog but I have close to zero creativity.

But, we are living in strange times. My whole life is filled with things I didn’t expect right now.

Maybe I will change my mind and this will be another failed attempt. Maybe it won’t bring value to anyone’s life. Maybe this blog won’t even matter…to you. However, I am guessing that it will provide some personal growth for me. So for now I write because it matters…to me.

Till next time…#ThoughtsofBridget