In Mark 2:27, Jesus himself said that Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. That said, the picture below will give you a little insight into things in the Bonnen household right now.
In this picture, you can see me in hour two of an assembly process of a ping pong table that I was confident would take maybe 30 minutes. Am I a little frustrated? Certainly. Can I still visualize a scene of my family happily playing ping pong together, sharing laughter and congratulations over great plays? That’s the only thing keeping me going with this drill and these screws and what appears to be a bunch of extra parts that the ping pong table company threw into the box just to torture me.
I share that, because, as our state heads into the third full week of isolation efforts and motions to flatten the curve of this deadly disease, we are all getting a little frustrated, a little pent-up, if you will. We all want to do SOMETHING. For those people who think we can just head back into life as it was by a particular date, without validation or verification from medical and scientific sources, you need to take a minute and think about what you’re asking for.
The things that we are doing together as a state are essential to protect each other and keep our healthcare system from being crushed under the demands of a virus that makes ventilators and a broad array of medicines necessary to help the afflicted.
We all want to take action. We just need to make sure we’re taking the RIGHT action. I’m not saying we should be seeking distraction all day, every day, but it’s important to stay home until the storm passes, investing ourselves in activities that are beneficial to us in terms of relationship and self-reflection and self-improvement.
In some respects, I see this cursed ping pong table assembly process as a metaphor for what our state is going through right now. I am confident that, when we have done what we need to do and constrained the impacts of this terrible disease, we will be able to celebrate life together. I truly believe that the economic impact of this situation will be serious, but I do not believe it will be fatal. The fundamentals of our state’s economy that have made us the envy of the nation for over a decade, remain.
It’s important for us to keep that vision of a rejuvenated and revitalized Texas in our minds as we do the things that science and compassion for others compel us to do.
So, let’s all take at least a little time this sabbath to rest and reflect and, if you have time, pray for me that I don’t chuck this ping pong table into the street in front of our house before sunset.
(I promise to post at least one image of a happy ping pong game as proof of life when this process is complete.)
Happy Sunday.
DB
