In the midst of a hundred-year global pandemic,
The scramble is on! Vaccinate anyone, everywhere,
All who desire the two-dose jabs – man, that’s’ gigantic!
All nations now seek to protect their citizens’ welfare.
Faced with mounting infections and deaths so horrific,
All across the world, there is fear and deepening despair.
National leaders, appointed to lead at this time,
Show leadership proficiencies, or total lack thereof,
Embracing science-based guidance, or their own designs.
There is no end to kraziness that some are proud of,
As sickness and deaths mount and economies decline!
No matter the consequences, power is what they love!
Even with wise leadership, much foolishness abounds,
Among folks who still believe the pandemic is a hoax.
They object when leaders order closures and crackdowns,
Insisting their lifestyles and livelihoods should not be choked!
They reject precautions with behavior that astounds,
Yet when sick, they demand care, crowding out more needy folks!
In the background of all this pandemic clutter,
Vaccines were quickly developed, tested and then approved.
Soon, vaccination systems began to sputter,
And across the spectrum, all aspects were harshly reproved!
That’s when fears exploded when these words were uttered:
The virus is mutating; new variants have diffused!
Friends,
It shouldn’t be hard to see parallelisms,
Between our responses to the Covid virus,
And our human, sinful recidivisms. 1
Many folks regard the ‘sin virus’ as bogus, 2
And, therefore, embrace moral relativism. 3
Yet God sees us through His lenses, sharply focused.
His primary lenses are sin and Grace.
Thus, His first response to our sinfulness is patience.
But when sin viruses spread and debase,
He is duty bound to respond with judgment’s vengeance,
For you, me, nations …the whole human race.
Yet we tend to dismiss His response as …just science.
When His judgments hit like a pandemic wave,
The scramble is on!! Deflect, deny and defend,
Trying anything our derrieres to save!
But into hopelessness, the wise do not descend.
Though they do sin, to sin they are not a slave,
Because on The Lord’s ‘two-dose jab’ they depend.
Since He knows sin acts and affects like a virus,
He designed a two-inoculation equivalent.
Against both, ‘anti-vaxxers’ have a huge bias. 4
Some folks get His first. Of His second, they’re ambivalent.
We whom He calls, ‘wise’, complete His prescribed modus,
And to sin viruses, become more and more resistant.
His first equivalent is forgiveness in Christ.
That’s when from our sin’s full wages, we are un-tied,
Because on Calvary’s cross, He paid our due price.
But if to His second dose we have not complied,
To sin willfully, we’ll be easily enticed.
So what counts as His second dose? In Christ abide!!
While some vaccines may require a booster shot,
The Lord’s equivalent is continuous doses,
On-going, just like our heart beats, breaths and thoughts.
For some, it’s just too hard to do what He proposes,
Thus, this crucial part of His plan they boycott,
Till weakened protection triggers …bad diagnoses.
After by sinful temptations they are awed,
Their scramble is on …to ponder sin traps they fell into!
As they ponder, some folks might get mad at God,
Or they sulk, wondering why, for them, He did not come through.
So because His second dose they didn’t regard,
To some protections for the righteous, they had bid …adieu!
‘Been there, done that!’, Yep, that is my confession.
Friends, and what about you?
Counting only on His first dose protection?
Skimping on number 2?
Learning to abide is our …life-long mission. 5
Just God’s first shot …won’t do!
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1 Recidivism - repeated or habitual relapse, as into criminal or antisocial behavior patterns
2 See: Elephant in the Room (Poem)
3 Moral relativism - the idea that there is no universal or absolute set of moral principles
4 That is spiritual anti-vaxxers
5 While some folks may embrace the born-again experience as ‘fire insurance’, i.e., an escape from hell’s eternal fire, it is critical to understand salvation in Christ is a two-step process. Being born-again without learning to abide in Him is taking a serious risk! Some argue, ‘Once saved, always saved!’, but they obviously, and sadly skipped over Revelation 3:14-22. Check it out!
