Quiet Reflection
By The Rev. Deacon Cliff Syner
Over the past few months, we have watched as a wave approaches. COVID-19 has now reached our shores and has crashed into our communities. It is a reality that has now affected our lives and each day the encroachment into our normalcy is ever growing. We have gone from seeing rising statistics in China to seeing cars lined up at our hospitals for testing in our cities. As of this writing, even rural and small town grocery store shelves are now emptying.
The normal human response is anxiety. And questions quickly build as we scramble to make sense of the chaos? How did this come to be? Am I in danger? What about my family, friends and community? As Christians who believe in God who is present and Christ who makes Himself known to us, what should be our response? How can we share the peace of Christ in such unsettling times? How can we feel the peace of Christ in our own hearts? Answering these questions is the right place to start as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
What We Know about COVID-19.
My friend and supervising physician, Dr. David Haase M.D. in Nashville wrote an excellent article for his patients on what we know and what can be done. I will summarize a few of his points below.
This is a new virus that most likely came from contact with wildlife, bats in Wuhan, China. There have been mutations of the virus and the hope is that it will weaken with each mutation as other similar viruses have done in the past.
How Does it Spread?
This is a respiratory virus, spread by breathing infected droplets that others have sneezed or coughed into the air. It stays virulent for up to 3 hours in the air and can last for weeks on surfaces. It can also be spread by touching these surfaces and then touching your face.
What are the Symptoms?
Although this is not influenza it has similar symptoms, fever, dry cough fatigue, muscle aches are hallmarks. The danger in COVID-19 is the damage it can cause to the lungs. It attacks the cells of the lower respiratory tract and causes inflammation to the point that your body’s ability to transfer oxygen into the bloodstream is affected. This is how it becomes fatal. Typically this has been about 5 days after first symptom onset. For this reason testing is important, if we know early on there are medical treatments that can help preserve lung function.
Who is at Risk?
Up to 80% of children and young adults who contract this illness will not even know it, although they can still spread it. The real danger here is for the most vulnerable among us. The elderly and those with chronic respiratory disorders. For those with an already reduced lung function, the effects of this virus can be and have been devastating.
How Can We Prevent It?
By heeding the advice of the CDC as well as our governmental leaders and healthcare providers. we can prevent the types of spikes in illness that quickly overwhelm the medical infrastructure of our nation.
We can also protect ourselves by strengthening our immune system through some basic principles of health. Consider how God has designed our bodies to thrive and live into those principles. The following recommendations have been shown to lower the incidence of infection and speed recovery.
Rest - Take this time to recover from the life we live of constant movement. Sleep in if you have been constantly sleep deprived. Read something for fun, or play a game of chess with those you are spending the days with. Meditate on Christ and get lost in prayer. This is our Sabbath, this is what God wants for His children, to rest in Him.
Move - If you have been exercising keep it up but don’t push yourself more than usual. Get outside and go for a walk. Try a body weight exercise program in the house. Go outside and listen to the birds chirp, see the deer gracefully excited that the snow has melted. Spring is on its way and this is an amazing time to appreciate the transition, as the early spring bulbs begin to bloom and the squirrels chase each other with a new found vigor. We are designed to move and exercise has long shown a correlation with decreased illness.
Nourish - We are what we eat. Both spiritually and physically. At this time more than ever we need to be feeding our bodies what will help them to have the best chance of thriving when confronted with illness. Eating an Anti-inflammatory diet as able, which includes a plethora of fresh greens and colorful veggies and fruits, high omega-3 fish, healthy oils like avocado and olive, nuts and seeds. Avoid processed sugar and trans-fats BUT do enjoy a little chocolate! Dark chocolate over 80% cacao can actually help the immune response! See Dr. Haase’s original article for even more well studied supplements and nutritional aids that have been shown to help decrease your risk of contracting COVID-19.
Stress - Stress lowers the immune response and opens us up to infections. In this season reach out to loved ones, speak with a counselor, call your priest. Know that we are all in this together and together we will be stronger on the other side. Use this time to consider what your priorities are and what areas of your life is their unneeded stress. Say the Morning Office and Evening Prayer, quiet your heart with daily devotion and meditation.
Relationships - Grow in your relationships. Often those who share hardships grow closer to each other and often will realize their life's calling in these times. We have already seen beautiful stories of compassion and mercy from China and Italy this past couple weeks. As we continue along this journey together what decisions will you make and how will your compassion and your mercy shine a light into the fear and unknown of lies ahead?
It is often in the hardships of life that our faith is tested and this is certainly the case in this current pandemic.
My advice is that we cling to the hope of God who loves and God who restores. Through creation the great physician has provided for our needs. Christians started the first hospitals, Christians have revolutionized the way the vulnerable have been cared for across the world. The Kingdom of God is present and we are most relevant in our communities when we offer the peace of Christ, stability of emotion and steadfast actions that show His light and His healing Gospel. Tonight as we pray Compline, the words will move from our prayer books to our mind and across our lips:
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or
weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who
sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless
the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the
joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen.
As Christians we are the body of Christ, we are the answer to this prayer. With courage, compassion and a steadfast faith, let us tend the sick, give rest to the weary, bless the dying, sooth the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous all for Christ’s sake.
_______________
Deacon Cliff Syner is a senior at Nashotah House. He lives here with his beautiful wife Lisa and their three children. Cliff has served as a flight medic in the Army and most recently as a functional medicine Physician Assistant at the Maxwell Clinic in Nashville, Tennessee. He is passionate about human flourishing through God's creation and the revelation of Jesus. Dcn. Cliff's sending parish is St. Patrick's Anglican Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.