Aug 11th, 2020: Where Are The Shepherds?
My son and his wife just got a puppy a few months ago. We have to
be honest that we fall in love with that dog faster than we thought. He
has a peaceful temperament and enjoys seeing us whenever we come over.
It didn't take long for us to consider him as a member of the family.
How do I know that? Well, his name always comes up whenever we are
shopping. It has been good therapy for all of us while dealing with all
of Covid-19 unknowns and tensions.
The latest
news we have for Calgary is our employment rate hit 15.5% as the highest
for urban centers of its size in Canada. My work has been busy because
people don't see people like me that often when things are good. Many
people are anxious, and some are getting more and more depressed. We
don't have political leaders who are having the gift of being good
shepherds, so the flock is pretty much scattered.
Sheep
of a scattered flock exposed to many predators and the shepherd is not
there to protect and to warn them. They will live under a constant
threat of being attacked and EEkilled. What happens in Beirut after the
explosion is a prime example of that. The nation didn't have meaningful
leadership, and now they can hardly provide any direction and comfort to
the people of Lebanon. People say that they welcome help from other
countries, but please bypass the government because of corruption. The
void of affective and caring leadership will kill more people than the
explosion itself.
Now let us move closer to
home. Somehow the concerns of our frontline healthcare workers have not
been taken seriously in many cities and states in the US. They keep
warning us is about their inability to provide proper care to everyone
who is sick, Covid-19, and all. The most meaningful way to appreciate
these folks is working together to bring the numbers related to Covid-19
under control. I have heard people who talk about conspiracy stuff, and
I understand where they're coming from in terms of their perspectives.
However, we need to listen to those who have been paying the price while
doing their jobs of caring for the sick. We have not seen the real cost
of Covid-19 yet. The death of hope, trust, and human decency are all
the casualties of this crisis if we don't choose to deal with it with
some personal sacrifices.
So how between my
son having a puppy and the world current crisis are related? There is
comfort and rest when we know where to stand in relationships and how we
stand together in facing a common threat. The puppy, Reggie, in his
peculiar presence, provides some playful and stress-free breaks for my
son and his wife. My son works in a very turbulent industry during a
very testing time. He is able to work well under stress and he is one of
the calmest accountants in that industry that I know. We will be a lot
better off if we can acknowledge that we all fall short where God
intends for us and be thankful for one another. Let us be gracious to
each other in the lack of knowledge and committed to one another in the
absence of resources. Be thankful that we have decent healthcare and
don't abuse it by not taking care of what is needed.
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." (Ephesians 4:2)
