Stay at Home...More?

In a time of isolation and response to the COVID-19 virus, we can still recognize that the Church
continues to function and can even flourish during these adversities. Colossians 3 states:
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

The Church, while physically separated, is spiritually bonded together, and the Church is being the Church in so many tangible ways, in providing hope, in praying for and even ministering to the sick, affirming those who work on the front lines, distributing needed supplies, and more.  Those who are with and without employment during this time have the opportunity to work for the Lord - in His name, seeking out what He would have us to do, so that His name may be lifted high.

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One of the Scripture references found in an article to which I will refer today is found in Colossians
3, which speaks powerfully to the nature of and attitude toward our work. We can read:
23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Across America, our leaders are taking steps to, as it's been called "reopen" the country.  There is a set of Federal guidelines issued by the White House that are centered around meeting certain data points or "gates" regarding the reduction of COVID-19 cases.  And, governors are rethinking their stay-at-home orders, issuing new guidelines, resulting in people who have not been at their jobs because businesses are closed going back to their workplaces.  Just yesterday, Alabama's governor, Kay Ivey, announced that all retailers in the state would be allowed to open, which is welcome news for a number of small businesses and their employees who have been out of work for the past few weeks.  And, of course, we are all subject to necessary safety guidelines regarding public health.

However, one member of Congress, who seems to always be making headlines because of the outrageous things that she says is suggesting that people not go back to work when they are allowed to.  That would be Alexadria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who is quoted by the Faithwire website.
The article refers to a piece released by the Vice media outlet, in which AOC said:

“We talk about this idea of ‘re-opening society’ you know, only in America, when the President tweets about ‘liberation’ he means going back to work,” Ocasio-Cortez says with a wry smile on her face. “I think a lot of people should just say no, we’re not going back to that. We’re not going back to working 70 hour weeks just so we can put food on the table and not even feel any sort of semblance of security in our lives,” she concluded.

So, is this some sort of nationwide strike she's talking about?  Perhaps it is an expression of the entitlement culture that is so prevalent among many younger people today.  The article quotes a pastor named Jeff Durbin, who said that the Congresswoman "mocks the idea of being set-free to work and be productive." He stated: "The discerning person should pay attention to the underlying presuppositions that are driving her (and her cohorts) political moves at this time. The virus is an opportunity to gain ground with a new ideology. It’s an ideology that praises idleness, poverty, despotism, and theft. Make no mistake: There’s more happening here than fear of a virus.”

Dan Andros, Managing Editor of Faithwire, who wrote the piece, offered a Biblical perspective on work.  He says that, "Even in the garden of Eden, the very first human created and put on earth was given a charge to work," and includes the Scripture reference of Genesis 2:15.

He also outlines these principles:

• God explicitly commands us to work! (Exodus 34:21)
• We must be willing to work: (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12)
• We will be rewarded — not on earth — for our work! (Colossians 3:23-24).

Andros points out that:

We are to serve Him in all we do, no matter what our job title. Furthermore, the concept that we have no security outside of the government providing for us also runs counter-intuitive to placing our faith and trust in God to provide for us. He promises we are more valuable than the birds, who get fed, and the flowers, who don’t make their own clothes — how much more valuable are we? 

The satire site, The Babylon Bee, said: "The majority of the nation is 'totally in favor' of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez boycotting her job permanently.  The piece quoted fictitious worker Pete Vik: "Please, never go back to work, AOC, for the good of the nation..." The quote continued: "...we taxpayers would totally pony up a couple hundred grand a year to pay you to stay home."

Judging from the behavior of some lawmakers during this pandemic, I would say there are quite a few that don't need to keep working in Congress. By the way, to my knowledge, members of Congress continued to draw a paycheck, even though they were not doing a whole lot during this crisis, with House members sitting at home while the small business assistance program ran out of money.  But, how much money can the government afford to give out to struggling Americans? It seems that Senator McConnell has begun to float that question.

For those who have lost income during this crisis, it has been a brutal and challenging time, and there is certainly a long way to go. And, it's important to empathize with those who have lost jobs or faced a change in the way they do their jobs.  For some, it may be a time of testing and reorientation.  Some companies may never operate the same again, and the workforce may be looking at different methods or practices in order to be more efficient.  God will use adversity in order to make necessary changes inside of us, as well as to adjust the patterns of our lives.

We can also be careful to make sure that we have a healthy attitude toward our work.  Isolation should never be an excuse for idleness. We are experiencing a "pause," but that doesn't mean that it's permanent. There may be financial assistance that is warranted, but I believe ultimately that the Lord wants us to look to Him as our provider and desires to empower us to work in order to see that provision manifested.  Even in a time when many are experiencing joblessness, nevertheless God is calling His people to trust in Him.