Observations on Human Behavior

Most of the news in the past six weeks has been focused on the virus pandemic. The impeachment of Trump has been forgotten and we aren't hearing much about the election this fall. Even the issue of sexual abuse has fallen by the wayside while everyone is focused on the virus. There are questions and debates about the  seriousness of the virus, the causes and cures, the government mandates and more. I am no expert on medicine or politics but I have made some observations on human behavior from this.  

My first observation is that people seem to need someone to analyze and criticize. The virus provides them with a fresh variety of subjects to slash on the whipping post. You Tube and Facebook provide a platform for people to publish their opinions which other people spread by sharing and argue for or against with their comments. 

There are videos made by doctors who don't agree on the causes and cures for the virus. Some advocate natural cures and others are looking for a drug or vaccine. Some things which have been posted claim the whole thing is a hoax or a conspiracy. There are opposing viewpoints for and against the quarantine which is causing economic problems and disrupting the supply of essential foods and services. 

The mixture of opposing viewpoints is confusing and I have mostly given up on watching these things.  It has come to the point I question whether the "doctors" making these videos are actually doctors. Anybody could dress in hospital scrubs and spout their opinions as a "doctor." How can we know what is truth and who to believe?

One thing I do know is that not everything you read or see on the Internet is truth. None of us have ever seen anything like this and there are too many unknowns. Ideas and research keep changing. At one point hydroxychloroquine seemed to be the answer but new research has come up with another possibility. That could easily change next week and probably will.

Second observation, you can pretty much tell what people believe by the posts they share on Facebook. People have their own opinions and they will share things they find that support their opinions. If they think it's all a hoax, that's what they will share. If they think the quarantine was not necessary, they will share things that support their opinion. If they are an advocate of natural products, essential oils, etc., they will share things that agree with their beliefs.

Third, human intelligence is limited. People can only guess what might have been. It is impossible for anyone to know what would have happened if different decisions had been made, for example regarding quarantine. Did it help slow the spread of the virus? Is the economic fallout worse than the cause? 

Fourth, people who do not have faith and trust in God live in fear. They hoard groceries and paper supplies to gain a sense of control and security. They cower in their homes in isolation for fear of getting sick forgetting that they could just as easily die in an instant from a completely different cause. I'm not saying we should throw all caution to the winds. We should obey the laws our leaders pass which they believe are for our protection,  but we need not live in fear. This is a rough patch, but we are not alone. God is with us and He will see us through. And if we get the virus and die, we have hope beyond this life. Death is not the worst thing that could happen when it is our ticket to heaven.

Outrageous Grace

I just finished reading a book entitled Outrageous Grace. It is the story of Edmund and Grace Fabian who were Bible translators in Papua New Guinea.

Edmund was born in Poland and escaped to Germany with his mother and siblings during World War I. The trip to safety was so traumatic he seldom spoke of it. They were reunited with his father in Germany and Edmund grew up there. Grace grew up in New York. She always wanted to be a missionary and spent some time in mission work in Mexico. They met at a linguistic school and were married in 1967. 

Edmund and Grace arrived in Papua New Guinea in 1969 with their four-month-old son, Jonathan. Their assignment was to translate the Bible into the language of the Nabak people. The Nabak language had never been written. They not only had to learn the language but devise an alphabet for the sounds. They had to learn Nabak customs so they could translate the Bible in terms the people would understand. 

For example, the Nabak people have a custom of tying knots to indicate a promise or agreement has been made. If a man gives a gift of a pig to someone he lays a knot made from a tough vine on top of the meat. When the person who received the meat wants to return a gift he lays the vine on top of his gift but unties the knot. It is a symbol of mutual trust and unity. As the Fabians translated the New Testament, they frequently came across the words "covenant" and "agreement." After much discussion they translated those terms to "knot." God tied his knot with the Nabak. His words are God's "new knot." 

Through the years, several natives helped them with the translation work. They were seventy percent finished in April 1993. On April 29, Edmund was in his office working on I Corinthians 13 when the man who was helping him went berserk and buried an ax in Edmund's head. They knew he acted strange sometimes but did not know he was schizophrenic. 

 At Edmund's memorial service in the States, the minister held up a pair of Edmund's shoes and asked who will fill those shoes. His son, Jonathan, stood up and volunteered to give up his career and help his mother go on with the difficult task of finishing the translation.

Grace went to prison on a regular basis to visit her husband's murderer. The forgiveness she extended to him and Jonathan's return impressed the Nabak people more than anything they had ever done. How could they forgive? Why would Grace stay and Jonathan come back to help the people who had murdered his father? They didn't understand, but Grace did. God told her they needed a demonstration of His words so they could understand what they mean.

The New Testament was finished in 1998. Grace and her family were honored with celebrations in two places when the first Bibles were distributed. Someone asked Grace if there was a meaning for the red ribbon marker in the Bible. She told him it's red because it's for the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross. It's for His covenant; "He has tied His knot with us." 

One of these places was in the village where Edmund's murder lived. By that time he had committed suicide. In a formal ceremony, his widow asked Grace to be her sister. She accepted. She and her children were "adopted" into their family and given many valuable traditional gifts. It was the Nabak way of apologizing and making restitution for a wrong. 

Grace returned to the States in 2005 but the Bible she and Edmund translated remains with the people. She has traveled back to Papua New Guinea several times to work on a songbook and renew friendships. Today she lives in eastern Pennsylvania close to her children. 

If you'd like to read the whole story, it is available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Outrageous-Grace-Story-Tragedy-Forgiveness/dp/1475986580

Solitude

I am amazed how quickly and drastically our lives have changed by something so tiny it can't be seen. Leroy was only working three days per week this year but he has been laid off until things turn around. We are finding out what retirement is like, however, with more restrictions than there would be under normal conditions. We have not gone anywhere for several weeks except for short runs to pick up a prescription or get parts to fix a leaking toilet. Our children get our groceries and visit on the phone. We are attend church services by live stream and are thankful for that option which would not have been available a few years ago.

I do miss not being able to worship in person, but on the whole I am not frustrated by the stay-at-home order. I'm not an extrovert who has to be surrounded by people or party to be happy. I'm perfectly happy with my quiet life, my books, email and Facebook friends.

The devotional I read this morning described the difference between loneliness and solitude. Loneliness is not always the result of being alone. A person can feel lonely in a crowd if they don't fit in with the others. Loneliness can result from rejection or separation, either by broken relationships or death. Loneliness brings pain and sorrow.

Solitude is time spent alone and is often deliberately planned. It can be time spent with God, going for a walk, or some other activity done without companionship. It is a time of renewal and refreshment. Solitude brings joy rather than pain.

In the situation that has been forced upon us by the virus, we can either chaff at the restrictions and suffer pain and sorrow or we can turn it into joy by choosing to make it a time of renewal and refreshment. With the pressures of busy schedules removed, we have time to meditate, read books, go for walks, and enjoy more family time. That is a blessing, not a hardship. 

Choose joy!