If there is anything that this global pandemic has done…it has allowed us to reassess what is truly important. Many of us are left with a great deal of time…perhaps uncomfortable time…to look at our lives. What are we living for? What are we giving up? What are we doing with the time that we have been given?
The other day I was asked by a couple of Christians about my productivity…or…I should say…in their eyes…my worth. Things have slowed down a bit at work…we are unable to do things we once did. Public worship services have been canceled and I spend much more of my time editing videos. Anyway, the couple wanted to slam any work product. We are a small chapel community and we only garner a small amount of ‘views’ or ‘likes’ on our page. Am I ‘productive’ enough? Am I ‘good’ enough? Am I valuable?
We have used terms like ‘essential’ and ‘non-essential’ to divide up the work force. During these times we say, “Mission-essential” personnel only should report to work. In a short time event like a Typhoon or a Blizzard, this does not affect most of us psychologically. But when the duration is months…well things get trickier.
We see it already as the ‘essential’ hold out their ‘essentiality’ with a sense of distinction and pride. They, after all, are chosen to be ‘essential.’ The non-essential workers struggle to maintain a sense of relevance for themselves and try to produce work…in order to…produce work.
I admit that I struggle with this. As somebody who has historically identified myself with my job…this is tough. Do I matter? Am I valuable?
Or is something else going on?
Walter Brueggemann wrote a book entitled Sabbath as Resistance where he suggests many answers to these questions.
Where do we get the assumption that our value is tied to our economic productivity? If we look in the Bible, we have to acknowledge that is Pharaoh who embraces this ethic. “They are more numerous than the people of the land, yet you want them to stop working!” he screams (Exodus 5:5). Work harder! Work without resources! Pharaoh is the capitalist God.
Capitalism may be a good economic system…but it is a terrible source of life. As Brueggemann puts it, “our capitalistic system is on the wrong side of history.” This does not mean that we need to embrace socialism or communism or any other version of centrally run economies. It does, mean, however that we need to redesign our system of values that are derived from capitalism.
In our current crisis, politicians are willing to sacrifice people to protect the economy. Rep Trey Hollingsworth of Indiana presents at as the mature thing to do (https://time.com/5821166/gop-coronavirus-deaths-economy/). Time to “put on our grown up pants…” he intimates…as if those who want to stem the tide of the virus are immature babies. In a value system that would make Pharaoh giddy with delight, Hollingsworth suggests that the most important items are the economy and our productivity. These are what give us meaning. This is what is truly important.
In the Old Testament, YHWH had a different understanding. He wanted His people to leave Egypt to worship the Lord (although even today, YHWH would probably insist on social distancing). Delight was to be found in community and in providing for one another. Joy was to be found in the Lord, not in the economic bottom dollar.
Jesus, too, seemed to place value on people rather than political or economic goals. “Love one another…” that is the commandment Jesus gave to His disciples the night before he died. “Pray for you enemy…” he declared. The New Testament church went farther and declared that true religion was to take care of the widow and the orphan (James 1:24). The Church met together and took care of each other and shared in their property (Acts 6). Their value system was different.
Imagine a world where we could take the time to develop a new sense of community…a new sense of value and a new sense of importance.
We now have that opportunity. One of the things that is interesting in the Old Testament was God’s command for Israel to take a Sabbath every seven years (Lev 25:2-4). God declares that if the people of Israel did not do this, He would inflict it on the land (Jer 25:11-12). One of the reasons the people go into Exile is because the land needs a Sabbath rest. It is a reminder to put God at the center of all things.
When we do this, we realize that God is in charge, we are not. God will do what God will do and we can not stop that. If God wants the world to pause, the world will pause. But this also has a side implication: we are all non-essential.
God does not depend on us…any of us…to do His will. No matter how busy or non-busy wer are, God’s plan will always be accomplished. This is heart breaking for many of us. We want to be the agents of our success and we want to change the world. But it is God who does that. Not us. It is God who accomplishes His plans…we do not accomplish those plans for Him.
But just because we are non-essential does not mean that we are not valuable. I truly believe that every individual…the billions and billions who existed over time and the billions who exist now and all of those who will exist in the future are valuable. Each of us is important to somebody else. The Navy may not care about me…but my family does. My friends do.
Even more important that this…God does. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Zephaniah 3:17… “He will delight over you…He will quiet you with his love.” Brennan Manning spoke about the furious longing of God and there is a sense in which each one of us… all of us are important to God.
So perhaps the Corono-virus is an opportunity for us to re-evaluate what we are basing our lives on. If we seek to base it on the productivity of Western Capitalism, we will surely be disappointed as we increasingly become aware of our own irrelevance. But if we base it on God and derive our value and importance from this…we will truly be free.
So my content may not be viewed by many people. Nobody may read this blog entry…I’d be highly surprised if anyone did. But my importance is not derived from how many likes, or clicks or shares I get.
My importance and my value is derived by my God and my family who love me.
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