Don't Panic!

Things we haven't all died of yet:
vCJD
SARS
The Millennium Bug (ok, our computers haven't died, but you know what I mean)
Mobile phones
Bird Flu
Snow
Swine Flu

Obviously that doesn't mean we shouldn't be careful, or take precautions where it's appropriate. To be honest, the things we're being told to do to avoid swine flu (use a tissue, wash your hands) are things that should be basic hygiene anyway. But don't panic! Panic is probably the best thing we could do to make things worse. And so far, for those of us safely in Britain, the actual spread of the virus doesn't warrant it.

It reminds me of something said recently about Matthew 6: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" Jesus isn't saying "don't think about the future or take responsibility for planning for it." He's saying that we need to trust God and not ourselves. We're not to panic, because if God is the focus of our life, and where we put our energy and values, then everything else falls into perspective from that. Get the big thing right, and the rest will follow. It's not easy to remember, especially when your instincts are telling you to panic, but in the long run it's better than living a life constantly anxious and afraid of what might happen.

It's something I haven't quite managed to get my head round yet. In some areas I think I may be getting there. Some of the time. Being unemployed and working voluntarily for the church helped there! It's somehow easier to rely on faith when there isn't anything else anyway! But in other ways I still struggle- for example, I worry a lot about other people, and I'm not sure how trust and faith work in that situation. One day it'll make sense. At least, I hope so!