James H. Cagle
[email protected]
The Bible (KJV) says, “And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord” (Jer. 3: 10).
Covid 19 has been in the headlines for months. It has helped us see what is important and essential and what is not. It has helped us to properly prioritize everything.
And the virus has taught us how important personal hygiene is, and so now we’re cleaning up our act. Humans are the nastiest animals on the planet, and yet we’re the smartest, so we can learn. It’s amazing how we have to get sick before we remember how important cleanliness is.
The virus has brought us together again as families. We’re getting to know our family members who were practical strangers before. It’s amazing how we have to get sick before we remember how important family is.
We wanted to simplify our lives but didn’t know how, but the virus showed us how simple it really was.
With the help of the virus we have learned we can do without a lot of things. We can do without sports, travel, amusement parks, live entertainment, eating out, and even church. Since we’ve learned what we can do without, maybe when we return to work, money will not be a priority. It’s amazing how we have to get sick before we see how unimportant the things of the world are. It’s amazing how when material wealth and worldly things seem no longer important that we see how spiritually bankrupt we are.
With our busy schedule, and meetings and activities put on the shelf, we for the first time in a very long time have found some quiet time to think about ourselves, and maybe, just maybe, our relationship with God.
The virus has made many people more religious. Social media shows where people are everywhere praying to God to remove this virus. It’s amazing how we have to get sick before we think about getting right.
It usually takes a natural disaster to slow us down and get us to take notice of our spiritual disaster. God sent natural calamities upon Israel when she sinned to get her to focus on her sin and relationship with Him. Israel would then turn from her sin and return to God. Often her change was just an outward show, a reformation, instead of an inward change, a revival. She simply put her life of sin on hold until an evil king came to the throne and she went back to living in open sin.
America is doing the same thing. We pulled this same stunt on 9/11. We went to God and feigned repentance and asked for His help. We weren’t real or sincere with God. We didn’t stop loving our sin. We just put our life of sin on pause until our troubles were over. God saw we were insincere and still in loving mercy helped us. We’re chomping at the bit to get back to a worldly, sinful, life of pleasure and vanity, in which we have no thought of God.
For now though we must take this time to feign repentance, humility, and honor to God so we can get this virus behind us and get back to making money and on with our godless lives.
Some will learn invaluable lessons from this time that society is shut out and they’re shut in with just family and God. Most, though, will learn nothing.
Covid 19
Covid 19 is a virus,
That has plagued many lands.
It’s made us wear a facial mask,
And wash thoroughly our hands.
♢
It’s made us stay at home,
From our work, school, and play.
And we’ve got to know our family,
Who were strangers just yesterday.
♢
We see now how important,
Cleanliness really is.
Before we were so nasty,
Now we wash with emphasis.
♢
While shut in we have learned,
Of all we can do without.
Sports, entertainment, and travel,
Going to church, and eating out.
♢
Our lives we wanted to simplify.
We’re so tired of living on the run.
Now we do what’s truly important,
And see how simply it is done.
♢
It seems we’re more religious,
With the sick and dying all around.
And we look at our spiritual state,
And see what sickness in our soul abounds.
♢
So once again we talk to God,
And pray that He will heal our land.
But like we’ve done since 9/11,
We still won’t follow His command.
♢
So we feign our repentance,
Our humility and honor to God,
Just to get this virus behind us,
And back to life with no thought of God.
James H. Cagle
