The Horror!

I want to go out to eat. I really do. It’s not that I’m not eating well. I am married to a great cook. I just enjoy Red Robin, Chick-fil-a, Texas Roadhouse, Five Guys, Margaritas, J’s Crabshack, yes, even an occasional McDonald’s or Burger King. I know there’s takeout, but takeout is simply not as good. By the time you get it home, it’s not really “hot or fresh” anymore. Often, the steam generated from being enclosed in a Styrofoam container has started to make the food a bit “soggy.” Renée totally understands. She wants to go out to eat too.

This quarantine has limited all of our lives in a variety of ways. I haven’t been able to go to the movies in two months. Our shopping is limited to the big box stores. The mall is closed, as are the smaller shops in our towns. Because of Covid-19, we cannot visit with family or friends. Especially, our older relatives – grandparents, older aunts and uncles.

As tough as it has been, the Bible tells us being content with what we have is a display of true godliness. 1 Timothy 6:7-8 says, “After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.”       

As hard as this quarantine is, perhaps we should consider that less than 1,700 miles south from here we have brothers and sisters-in-Christ at our sister church in Camp Perrin, Haiti, who never go out to eat. There is no Red Robin, Chick-fil-a, or Texas Roadhouse in Camp Perrin. No Walmart or Home Depot to shop at or movie theatre to enjoy. As far as visiting elderly friends and relatives. Well, as there are only 25 physicians and 11 nurses per 100,000 people in Haiti, the life expectancy there is only 65 years. There are simply not a lot of elderly friends and relatives still alive to visit.

No, we cannot eat out right now, but we still have food to eat. So many people in the world do not. No, we cannot go to the movies. We have to suffer with only Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Amazon, Apple TV, or Disney+ to watch instead. The horror!  

Maybe, after this is all over, we might take a look at what we spent money on that we really could do without, and help others instead. As Paul said to the Philippians, “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too” (Philippians 2:4). Perhaps, we make a financial commitment to our M25 Haiti mission to help finish building the classrooms, the children’s school lunch program, or just to help Pastor François help our brothers and sisters there. We will be blessed. Proverbs 28:27 tells us, “Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.”

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