Is Social Distancing a Christ-Like Response to Covid-19?

Even if you don’t read all of this, read the last 2 paragraphs

The Church & COVID-19
Pastor Jerry Miller
When I was about 5 years old my skin began to itch terribly. Mom filled the bathtub and added something to the water to help relieve the itching. My sister who was a year older, had the same thing. We had both been exposed to the chicken pox and we had both caught it. At that time the chicken pox vaccine was just being developed and was not an option. Those itchy spots were a right of passage of youth for so many of us.
Fortunately the chicken pox were not a serious health risk and soon our lives were back to normal. The disruption of avoiding them was often more of a hassle than dealing with them. That is not the case for every ailment though.
There are a lot of questions about the COVID-19 virus. Some have suggested that we take a similar approach as our parents used to take with chicken pox- simply let the disease take it’s course and move on with life. The problem is that unlike chicken pox, many more people with COVID-19 will need medical attention. Further, few people got the chicken pox twice, so the spread of chicken pox was quite limited since so many had already developed immunity.
The concern with COVID-19 is not just the rate of death, but the rate of needed treatment. The hope is to slow the spread of the disease so that our hospitals are not overwhelmed.
As a Christians we are to show love for God and others. That means we should take care to slow the spread of a disease so that others can get the best care possible. If hospitals are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, that will mean fewer resources for other medical conditions as well.
I do not know how serious COVID-19 is. Many cases seem to be as mild or even less mild than the chicken pox. Others cases have led to mortality.
I recently heard that during a pandemic it may seem like we are overreacting with caution, but that is better than looking back and wishing that we had done more.
The experts are telling us that hand washing and social distancing is very important to slow the spread of the disease. Large social gatherings are being canceled.
As extreme as many of these measures seem, they are not totally unprecedented. Social distancing and even quarantine was prescribed by God under the law of Moses. For example, Leviticus 13:46 says, “He shall remain unclean all the days during which he has the infection; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.” (NASB)
It is quite possible that some are being overly cautious, but I recently heard of a sad account that occurred within a church setting. A small church decided to continue holding services while others canceled their services. Since it was a small church the thought was that they could be careful about washing hands and keeping a safe distance. Instead many people began to arrogantly shake each others hands and came in close contact with each other in order to prove their lack of concern. We must be careful that such behavior is not just a lack of concern about a potential danger and actually becomes a lack of concern for our neighbor. Although we cannot know the hearts of these people, we do know that our love for one another is evidenced in our actions.
As Christians we are to be more concerned with showing love than with being cool. Even if some people think it is not cool to avoid shaking hands- even if some people think it is not cool to stay 6 feet apart- even if some people think it is not cool to wash hands more often and to wipe off surfaces- all these actions can be a way to show love for one another.
If you are sick stay away from other people. Even if you are not sick, realize that you could still be a potential carrier. Avoid touching your mouth, nose, and eyes when in public. Show love for others by taking care to not share your germs with them. For some catching COVID-19 or another virus may not be that big of a deal. They may have few symptoms and may recover quite quickly. For others- particularly those with additional health challenges- the consequences of catching the disease could be deadly. Love says we care about the lives of others. Let us take the precautions necessary as we go forward even if it is an inconvenience and even if we do not think it is cool.