I love my sister. She’s always refreshingly honest and doesn’t really hesitate when it comes to telling you what she thinks. She acts with the right amount of thinking and speaks concisely and clearly. I think this is because she sees things, in her own way, very clearly. When she expresses her perspective, she doesn’t cloud it with fluff and extra words. There isn’t much behind the scenes with my sister. Who she is shows up for all to see, and she will always show up for you.
The other day, my sister and I were chatting about what’s happening in the world. She was telling me how she’s beginning to hear of some consequences of the world stopping and everyone staying home…and these stories aren’t negative consequences. For example, there is no way to escape the tragedy that Italy is one of the worst hit countries by coronavirus. What is, however, occurring alongside this virus is people sharing videos of crystal clear water in Venice, and showing fish swimming where people are normally traveling. It’s not only Italy, but people from around the world are noticing that animals are living freely and reclaiming their habitats, as humans are not interfering with their ability to move about with ease. In response to this, my sister said something along the lines of:
Maybe Jesus is like, everybody give me a minute. Everyone needs to chill.
I need to fix some things you messed up.
We laughed about this, but there is some real truth to be told here. Humankind has caused most of our own struggles. When people call out “society” and “the world” for all the destructive messes we get ourselves into, it’s frustrating to me because:
1- Each of us is part of society and contributes to people’s suffering and the suffering of all creation. Society isn’t somewhere separate from me/us.
2- We are the ones in the world with free will. Animals don’t betray each other. Trees don’t attack other trees. We choose destruction because we choose ourselves first.
3- The evil one has no power unless we give it to him. We call on God and the evil one runs away. If God allows for pain and suffering, we have to turn to Him and find Him and His will in it. I think what’s happening to creation is one clear way He is showing up. This is also one of the ways He is calling us to wake up and be closer to who we are called to be when we are on the other side of this.
The air is clearer because there are less planes and cars polluting it. Animals are the soundtrack when you go for a walk. This is healthy, refreshing, and truly God’s Kingdom breaking into this world.
My sister also told me that she read this today: People are the virus of the planet. Wow.
Let’s reflect, now that we have more quiet than ever, on our care for creation. God called us to oneness with Him, with each other, and with creation. May this awful virus that is attacking our lungs give our life, our breath, back to us. During this time, let our hearts be formed to be caretakers of each other and all of creation, that we all may have life together in Jesus Christ our Lord.
