17 Days to Christmas. Tuesday, Dec 8, 2020

“A Three-legged Race.”

Remember the three-legged race? We used to play it in elementary school and summer camps. It involves two people. One of their legs is tied to the leg of the other, forming one leg between the two of them. Thus, between the two people, they had three legs. Several pairs of contestants would be lined up and they would run to the finish line.

The race was always a hilarious mess. If one person ran too fast, it would cause the other person to lose their balance, drag the pair, and cause both of them to fall. If one person ran too slow, it would pull on the other person, causing them to fall. The winners of the race were always the pair of people that could run at the same pace.

This dang COVID virus during the Holidays is kinda like a three-legged race. Christmas. Will we postpone it this year? The parties? The Christmas dinner? How about caroling or singing in church? Will we be able to enjoy any of these traditions? Maybe, but not likely, unless we’re gonna break the rules and potentially put everyone at risk. Yes, that’s the blunt and unfortunate way to say it, but it’s true. If we’re gonna be safe, then we’re gonna need to follow the rules. This year, it is very difficult and it’s about to become even worse. More than ever, we’re gonna want to throw the masks in the trash and do some big-time lovin’ on each other.

Following rules can be terrible. God has provided each of us with a different personality, and, when accompanied by a lifetime of personal experiences, we become equipped with the ability to make our own decisions regarding our personal health and safety. However, in the current pandemic, we can easily forget that we are not the ones at risk when we fail to follow the rules. Rather, everyone else is at risk if I don’t wear a mask or practice social distancing. It’s like working together in the three-legged race: we have to be in step together! I could accidentally and unknowingly pass the disease on to someone else, whose body may not be able to defend itself as well as mine and causing them to fall. Even if I don’t think the masks and social distancing help when I don’t follow the rules, I am unintentionally insulting those who do.

Jesus said that we are known by our love for others. When we follow the rules, we are demonstrating love. This Holiday Season, follow the rules, especially when indoors and in close proximity with each other. Lots of Christmas traditions this year are being postponed. If we want to enjoy them next year with the people we love, we’re gonna need to be safe, healthy, and run together this year! Much like the three-legged race, we can lean in to Jesus, our partner, and finish the race together!

“Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is.” (Romans 14:13, The Message).