By Rachel Zachariah
With every passing moment, we are getting one news update after another about Coronavirus (COVID-19).
From news anchors reporting on different stories to social media updates to smartphone notifications, fear is running rampant now that the virus has directly impacted Americans.
COVID-19, which originated in China, has officially been classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. (1)
Even though our first instincts tend to be becoming afraid of the unknown, we should not focus on the fear itself. We should focus on prayer and put our hope in God as we may come across hard times in the future.
Hope is critical to have during challenging times as it helps our mind get away from troubling thoughts.
Many Bible scriptures discuss the need not to be afraid and to have hope and trust in God.
Lamentation 3:19-26 reminds us not to lose hope and not to live in fear.
“I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness, and the gall.
I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
Because of God’s great love, we are not consumed, for God’s compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “God is my portion; therefore, I will wait for God.”
God is good to those whose hope is in God, to the one who seeks God;
It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of God.”
Having faith in God and hope during troubling times will be needed over the upcoming weeks to get through this pandemic together as a society.
If you are struggling, always remember that we are all God’s children and that God has a plan for each of us.
Rachel Zachariah is a senior at Tappan Zee High School and completing her Senior Seminar Internship project with the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Blauvelt, New York.