They wouldn’t have alerted the news it wasn’t an issue. If people WEREN’T calling 911 to report people without masks, they wouldn’t have put it in the news!
I just want to know how these phone calls would go…. I can imagine it:
911: Hello, what’s your emergency?
Caller: Yeah. This is terrifying. It’s a big deal. I have an EMERGENCY!!!
911: Yes, how can I help you? What’s happening so I can send out the proper emergency personnel?
Caller: THERE A DANGEROUR PERSON HERE!!!
911: Where are you? What’s going on? Did you get a license plate number?
Caller: No! They are driving a buggy!
911: A buggy? Like with a horse?
Caller: No! They are pushing a buggy here at the Walmart! And… And…. And….
911: Calm down sir.. Breathe for me… What are they doing. What’s going on?
Caller: THEY ARE NOT WEARING A MASK!!
911: (FACEPALM)
Look, I know the fear is real. I have a friend who just came down with Covid. It is weird times that we are all living in. And we need to be careful with each other.
However, we are better than this. Jessica called the Project morning show today and I was so inspired that she said she was feeling content. She wasn’t giving in to fear.
To those who are concerned about the masks – one way or another, there are old words from the Bible that I think are pretty relevant. It’s from Romans 14.
In that time, just like ours, people loved to argue and to “be right!” The hot topic was food. The Jewish nation had very strict dietary rules. The Jesus followers were pretty intense about which foods were okay and which would send you straight to hell because you were a horrible person. So, this guy, Paul, weighed in:
“I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good. For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.”
There’s a lot there we may not be able to relate to. Bottom line, they were fighting. Two sides passionately convinced they were doing the RIGHT thing.
Paul says, “Look. I get it. I’ve got my own opinion too. But if I’m doing something that is hurting someone else, then I’m not working from love. I can ruin someone that God loved enough to have Jesus die for. So, it’s not about what is RIGHT or BEING right. It’s about how I love others. That’s what God cares about and others are going to like you too!”
We talk about love all the time – it’s harder when we have to change our opinions or our behavior because of others.
But maybe they believe as strongly about what they believe as what we believe. Maybe they are doing the best they know how.
And, let’s leave 911 alone unless it’s an ACTUAL emergency.
