The drumbeat of fear over coronavirus is hard to avoid.

Is it starting to get to you? Although I am not generally an alarmist, I have to admit it is starting to freak me out.

You can’t buy rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer anywhere. For goodness sake, people are hoarding toilet paper, batteries, and water. Are the power grid and water supply affected by the virus too? It feels like the hysteria you see in a bad disaster movie. 

While it is easy to shake my head at how silly people can be, it also makes me think, “What do they know that I don’t know.” After all, I am considered high risk and am about to have surgery. YIKES.

So it is an excellent time to pull out those reminders about how to maintain peace in the midst. 

Peace — that deep sense of harmony, wholeness, and health even in the midst of a pandemic — is a choice. We achieve it by fixing our attention on God, choosing thankful prayer over wringing our hands in worry and despair.

We decide to put on the shoes of peace and walk in them. It is also important to remember that those shoes are intended to keep us upright and prepared to represent Jesus. Your sense of peace speaks to others of your confidence in Jesus’ sufficiency. 

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of PEACE.

Eph 6:14-15
                    

Do what you can to follow expert advice. Wash your hands! Stay away from crowds and those who appear ill. Clean frequently touched surfaces.

And remember that God can settle our hearts if we give him a chance. He is more significant than anything we may face, and his provision is surer than Amazon’s ability to deliver hand sanitizer.