Don't Social Distance God!

A group of friends and I entered the swanky Daniel’s Broiler on Lake Washington. This very handsome looking white man walked by our group. All of a sudden he stopped and kissed me. He said, “You’re very pretty.” As you can imagine I was stunned. Today, I might call that a death sentence because he might have transferred the coronavirus  to me with that uninvited kiss. Then, I was too shocked to say or do anything.

 If you know me you may wonder why I didn’t hit him.  Fortunately for him violence is not my default action. My family and friends understand  I’m very protective of my personal space. My family is the kissy type, I am not.  I’ve been trying to overcome my aversion to the practice. This Covid 19 crisis has  impeded my personal growth. Maybe I, like, Michael Jackson’s glove, was just ahead of my time.

Some cultures  do welcome this affectionate greeting. Today that practice has been upended. The custom of kissing cheek to cheek with friends and family is no longer safe. Videos of  new ways to greet each other proliferate on social media. Touching ankle to ankle, or bumping shoulders in creative ways makes for hilarious viewing.

 While we think of news ways to do old things the beginning of the  verse in Psalms 2:12 says to adhere to  “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry..” God is giving this command. The son refers to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. In 2020 during this COVID-19  crisis is this verse still applicable. Indeed it is!

Kissing the Son is a sign of submission. The King, God, is on His throne. If one will not kiss or submit to the King’s Son one puts one’s life in danger. In order to kiss  a person you have to get up close and make face to face contact. It’s a pretty intimate act.

God wants us to make individual contact with Jesus Christ. There is no Social Distancing with God.  No one else can kiss the Son for you. It’s very simple. You just do what millions have done before you . How do you kiss the son in 2020? You submit your will to not be your own king.  Say, Lord Jesus you are the King and I submit to your authority. You let God sit on the throne of your heart.   In the Great Scroll of Isaiah 45:23 it states, “ Everyone is going to end up kneeling before me. Everyone is going to end up saying of me, ‘Yes! Salvation and strength are in God!”(Message Bible)  Have you kissed the Son. Unlike the man who kissed me without permission God gives us an invitation and command to Kiss the Son. If you haven’t kissed the Son yet, I invite you to do so now.

 Kiss his son, or he will be angry

    and your way will lead to your destruction,

for his wrath can flare up in a moment.

Psalm 2:12

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Are "Goodness and Mercy" Still Following Me?

As  a child growing up going to Sunday School and Vacation Bible. School I learned to recite the Twenty-Third Psalm. In the intervening  years I’ve read it during happy times and sad times. This morning one of the phrases, “Goodness and Mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” provoked a question in my mind.  Are “Goodness and Mercy” still following me? I mean like what’s good about a virus that’s wreaking havoc all over the world?  Plus I am now in that vulnerable senior age group that has that watch out factor, with an underlying health issue.

When I turn my head to look behind me I’m calling to “Goodness and Mercy” are you still there?  When all seems relatively peaceful I felt assured that they were with me and had my back. Now life  is out of whack and the waters are turbulent  do I have faith that “Goodness and Mercy” are still riding shotgun?  In this Psalm there are no qualifiers to this promise. It says that they will follow “All the days of my life.”

On this 16th day of March 2020 yes I know they are still following me. How do I know this? I know this because “Goodness and Mercy” are two of the many attributes of God. In the rearview mirror of life I’ve seen that “Goodness and Mercy,” were following me  even when I could not see them. I’ve seen them in God’s provision after my late husband passed away suddenly.

What most of my friends do not know was that when Winston passed there was no life insurance money. You may be asking why? Well, Winston was in between insurance policies. He had applied for insurance with another company.  Imagine my surprise when I called the insurance company and was informed he had dropped his policy. In anticipation of getting the new policy, without my knowledge, he had dropped his other policy. Seven days after his untimely passing I received a phone call from the new agency that Winston’s new policy was ready.  Of course this was too late to do anything for me. Was “Goodness and Mercy” still following me? Yes they were still there.

For the first time in my life not knowing why, I had saved a substantial amount of money. I had no idea I would need it for  Winston’s funeral and burial. “Goodness and Mercy,” were also present in the fact that we had paid off all of our consume debt. There was one exception. It was a bill we had for helping someone else. I paid that the next month. My personal finances were in good shape.

“Goodness and Mercy” accompanied all through those sad and trying days of intense grief and sorrow. I learned that I was moving through the Valley of Death. I learned I was not to live in that valley but to keep moving. While doing their job ”Goodness and Mercy,” had to come up close sometime and push me through that valley and they did. I have so many other experiences that show me that “ Goodness and Mercy,” never leave in troubling times.

A few weeks after Winston died my car also died. I started taking the bus back and  forth to work and renting a car from Enterprise for $9.99 on the weekends. When my late friend Gloria and her husband found out what I was doing they were moved to action. Their son was  away at college. His car was sitting in the garage. For the grand sum of one dollar a month, they rented me his car. This was love in action and “Goodness and Mercy“ following me. On this journey I had many times to experience their loving presence.  Later that same year I spent eight days in the hospital  with a blood clot in my lungs. “Goodness and Mercy” sat by my bedside with me along with numerous friends who visited  and cheered me up with their presence, prayers,  flowers, books and games for me to play.

As I reflect on my life I can say emphatically, “Yes!”   March 15, 2020 as we all  face this crisis I can turn and see that my Two Friends are right behind me. “Goodness and Mercy,” are following  me because God is with me for the duration of my journey on this earth.
Peace to all