Blog 4
Let’s talk about masks. Anybody not tired of talking about masks yet? I think what the internet certainly needs is another opinion/blog post about masks…am I right? Anybody? Bueller? *tap tap* Is this thing on?
I’m hopeful that a majority of you that take the time to read my posts didn’t instantly shut down at the word “mask” and are still with me. If not, I guess it doesn’t matter because you’re not reading this anyway! This post is not going to be from a scientific standpoint even though I am a scientist by trade...other people have done significant heavy lifting in that regard and the data is out there for your consideration. This post is not going to try and sift through mounds of data to reach a conclusion. As always, I like to be up-front about things so I will announce that I AM PRO-MASK. I will also disclose that I used to be PRO-DON’T CARE and PRO-YOU DO YOU in regards to mask wearing. This post will primarily be discussing how God transformed my views through His guidance. I am going to attempt to accomplish 2 things in today’s post by drawing on principles found in Scripture. First, I will be challenging what seems to be the prevailing thought that the problem is “out there”…in other words, someone else is the problem, not me. Secondly, we will play a rhetorical game of Q&A to try and determine the metrics where it would be necessary to answer “Yes” to mask wearing (if such a metric even exists).
As I mentioned earlier I used to not really care one way or another if people wore masks. While I chose to wear a mask, that was my prerogative… if someone else chose not to wear one then that was their prerogative; their autonomous right. It doesn’t mean I agreed with the reasoning behind choosing not to wear one, I just felt it was simply an agree-to-disagree sort of thing. I didn’t really care because I was taking care of myself and my family but the problem was “out there”…it was someone else’s problem…someone else was the problem, not me. As I read more regarding the true functionality of masks (keeping bad stuff in and protecting others rather than preventing it from getting in) God worked synergistically with this information to transform how I viewed my position in society. While I have been tested multiple times through work (all negative) I have to act as though I am a potential carrier of Covid…a 2 week lag time for symptom presentation (if symptoms appear at all) ethically requires me to do so. My test last Monday that I got results for this Monday means very little now that I am a week-and-a-half removed from it. We all have a societal obligation to act as though we are potentially the problematic one.
Before you dismiss me for being overzealous compare this with the concept of sin in the world. Scripture is clear that everyone is a sinner and that no one is righteous (Ps. 14:1-3, Jer. 17:9-10, Rom. 3:23) yet that is not how we viewed things before we became believers is it? Prior to placing faith in Christ our thoughts were DON’T CARE, YOU DO YOU, and the problem is “out there, not me”. When the Holy Spirit convicts us that actually we are part of a bigger collective problem is when transformation happens. At the moment I confessed that I was sinful and in need of a Savior my paradigm shifted and the people/problems “out there” became the very things I wanted to save and protect. The dying to self that is an inherent foundation of Christianity is not so that we can prove something to God…we can’t…it is so that we can begin to shed off the “old man” clothed in self-interest and put on the “new man” of sacrificial love and reconciliation (2 Cor. 5). Please note that I AM NOT SAYING THAT FAILING TO WEAR A MASK IS SINFUL. I do understand that there are medical conditions and situations where it is just not possible to do so. What I am saying is that I challenge you to articulate the true reason why you choose not to wear a mask. If you feel your individual liberties are being removed by wearing a mask I encourage you to reflect on the liberties Jesus gave up for your sake when He wore a crown of thorns on the Cross.
My second focus is on the question of what would the metrics need to be to say when a mask should be obligatory. Obvious situations where there are interactions with the elderly and immune-compromised should be a resounding “yes”. But what about just the normal weekly trip to the store? Or the daily grind at the office? Do those obligate mask wearing? Should they? This is where God shifted my paradigm a second time. He brought the story of Abraham and the 3 travelers to mind (Gen. 18). These travelers are clearly messengers from God (if not God Himself) and they are on their way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their wickedness. During their time together they tell Abraham that is their destination and mission and he begins to negotiate mercy for the righteous or innocent people that may live in those cities. He begins at 50 and works all the way down to 10…if there were 10 innocent people in those cities God would spare them all. The juxtaposition God showed me was how many lives would I have to guarantee I would be saving by wearing a mask? I think another underlying thought that we have about mask wearing is that it really won’t make a difference anyway so why bother? Also, this mindset doesn’t exist if the initial paradigm shift hasn’t happened where I am operating as though I am potentially the problem. But if I have made that commitment that I potentially am a problem but still don’t think my sphere of influence is large enough to matter ask yourself this question, “How many would be enough?” For the sake of saving 50 would you wear a mask? For the sake of 45? 40? 30? 20? 10? 5? 1? Shouldn’t one person potentially saved be enough of a reason? You might think this is hyperbole and of course you would do it if you knew it would save somebody but that is impossible to know for certain. But isn’t this like presenting the Gospel to people? Would you do it knowing it would save 50, 20, 10, even1 person? Of course you would but we get no assurance until Heaven that it happened for sure. Yet we are called to do it anyway.
If you have made it this far, thank you for sticking with me…this post has grown longer than I initially anticipated. I pray that this post may be useful for you if you are trying to figure out what our responsibilities are as Christians in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic that seems to threaten everything we hold dear. May we only seek to hold dear to the things that bring Him glory and live as Christ demonstrated for us. I am grateful for all of you no matter what your stance on this topic is and I pray for safety for you and your families. God Bless!