Mask or No Mask?
Mask or no mask? A question that probably never entered our minds before COVID-19, except perhaps around Halloween. But now it’s part of our day to day or at least weekly thoughts. There are still lots of places that require them, like grocery stores and doctors’ offices. But what about when they’re optional? What’s the right decision? I’d like to suggest there isn’t one. When given the choice, it’s a personal one. Although I may wear it when you don’t, that doesn’t make me right and you wrong or visa versa.
Some of us are ready to get out there, be with people, worship together, eat at a restaurant and even, dare I say, hug one another again (but only with permission). Others are more cautious and are keeping close to home. Then there are individuals who find themselves somewhere in-between. And that’s okay. Or at least it should be. Everyone has to walk through this season in their own way. At their own pace. And we need to extend grace to each other through the process.
There’s a verse in the Old Testament book of Judges that encompasses its theme: Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6b ESV) It’s an indictment, a warning, a neon sign of what not to think and do. Because of it, the Jewish nation went through a terrible period of 400 years of rebellion against the Lord which led to being conquered and subjected, crying out to Him in repentance, and being rescued by a judge God raised up, only to start the cycle again. The Almighty has made His rules and standards clear. We have no right or authority to alter, ignore, or dismiss any of them. So when we do what we think is right, instead of what God says is right, we’re in trouble. When this continues, so is our society.
But that’s not what’s going on in our world today. When not required, the decision of whether or not to wear a mask is merely a personal preference. As are the choices of how much and when to re-enter society. These are things we each must weigh and evaluate. Yet we don’t need to explain or defend our decisions. Just make the best ones we can and know others are trying to do the same.
We’re all in this together. We have been, since the March 13th presidential declaration of a State of Emergency. Even though we couldn’t be physically, we were unified and on each other’s side. Let’s not lose sight of that as we start to gather again.
Just something I’ve been thinking about along the way.
