God sent you a life raft
I don’t remember if it is a parable or an old satirical cartoon, but there is the story of a drowning man caught in the waves as they crest above him. He cries out to his God begging for a rescue. Right before he goes under a boat appears and the people onboard throw him a life raft. The man scoffs as his rescuers and says he is waiting for God to rescue him. This foolish man fails to see that it was God who sent the boat with the life raft.
On Good Friday 2020 President Russell M. Nelson invited people of all faiths to join with Latter-day Saints in a day of prayer to end the pandemic and heal humanity from this wretched, horrific disease. I remember so many declarations and statements from LDS faithful that it couldn’t be a coincidence that in this time of a worldwide epidemic that the prophet was a doctor – a heart surgeon no less. Many felt that President Nelson had been saved by an all knowing Heavenly Father for such a time as this.
Because of the groundwork that was laid for two decades by infectious disease scientists and doctors, we had a vaccine in record time. In less than a year. I was lucky to be one of the very first to be vaccinated because I’m a mental health worker. I even wrote about the guilt I felt in getting the vaccine before most everyone else. I was assured that in no time we would all be vaccinated and I had no reason for my guilt. I had no idea that the very people who prayed to God for absolution from this pestilence would reject the life raft God sent them.
God sent us a life raft, folks. Grab on.
***I realize there are immune compromised people who have been advised by their doctors (real doctors, not YouTube doctors) not to get the vaccine. It’s up to those of us who can get the vaccine to do so to help protect them. It’s what Jesus would do***
My son’s second grade teacher sent a welcome email, along with instructions on which programs to sign up for now in case we have to shift to online-only again. And I’m so disheartened that about another school year with the threat of COVID hanging over us. It didn’t have to be this way!
‘Immune-compromised,’ not ‘immune comprised’ – i can’t find a way to message privately . . .
Thank you for pointing that out. It has been fixed. Our platform has an annoying habit of autocorrecting words that don’t need it.
I’m sure we can all relate!
I’m trying to not judge folk who are choosing not to vaccinate while they rant about their rights and complain about possible vaccine passports (something that’s been suggested where I live) Meanwhile those of us who have been vaccinated are helping to lessen their risk. I’m so fed up that some folk are willing to ‘follow the prophet’ but not on this apparently. This Delta variant is gonna have a field day.
I work a few PRN shifts a month as a hospital social worker in a small local hospital and let me tell you, it’s getting scary. During the big surge last fall it was terrifying but there was hope because a vaccine was coming. For a few shorts months this year our hospital was almost free of covid patients. Now we have another surge, that is only going to get worse, but this time without the hope. We have a nursing shortage in a city where the University has one of the best nursing programs in the state. My empathy is stretched thin and I’m so angry with the people who have propagated lies and misinformation about medical science. That guy making antivaxx YouTube videos in his car is not going to be holding your (universal you) hand as you gasp and choke to death from a disease you could have gotten a free vaccine for.
I admire that you’re trying not to judge, but I’m the judging the hell out of people who are putting all of our lives at risk with their ignorance.
I think I wasn’t totally honest – I’m annoyed and judging. I pointed out on one FB thread with an LDS ‘friend’ that when we send missionaries out to tropical regions they are required to get necessary vaccines. Vaccines eliminated smallpox and polio is rarely heard of anymore. What is it about this vaccine that has caused such a response? I know a lot of folk think it’s too new whereas versions of this have been in the works for years.