By Clark Bailey

The Loyalist

“6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

Isaiah 55: 6-7

Hey, you, living under that rock, have you heard about coronavirus (COVID-19)?

Chances are slim that more than a handful of people in the civilized haven’t heard about. Chances are slim that there many people who haven’t been exposed to the hysteria and the panic associated with it. It seems, no, it is clear that we are inundated with information, statistics, dire predictions, new directives, and ultimately tales of the dead.

It’s enough to give anxiety to almost anyone. It’s enough to drive the strongest people to panic and those who scare more easily into hysteria.

Right now, we are hearing that we are to avoid people. We are told to stay in. Restaurants are closed. Bars are closing. The governor of Kentucky ( and others) are recommending people stay away from Church. President Trump just said as of this evening ( March 16th) that we should avoid crowds of more than 10 or more people. Grocery stores and other stores are seeing shelves emptied as soon as stock can be put up. We’ve all be barraged to death on social media with the talk of toilet paper hoarding.

I’ve tried myself to be above the fray. To not worry, not give in to the panic surrounding us. And for the most part, I have. I avoid most of the news. Which is kind of for naught because you’re going to hear it from everyone you run into for the most part. So almost without my consent, the coronavirus craziness has encapsulated my life for the past few days as well.

As I work on this piece my inbox on social media sites, my email and my text messages are going crazy. People are asking my thoughts, telling me theirs, exchanging conspiracies and worst scenarios, complaining, laughing, probably some crying, and most importantly praying.

I, we, don’t know what the coming weeks hold. We don’t know how many more businesses will close. We don’t know how many more will become sick. We don’t know how far restrictions will go to keep this contained. If one thing the whole situation has shown us is, how quickly things can change and how little control we actually have.

I do believe we will get through this however. I know to many right now this seems unlikely as the worst fears seem to be confirmed at every moment. I stil do believe we can and will make it though. We are resillent people. We are fighters. We come from a long line of fighters. Most importantly we Appalachians come from a long line of people of faith.

I think, more than anything, more than our preparedness, our resources, etc…etc…that we are going to have to lean firm on God, and to trust in Him.

It is ironic, or maybe it isn’t, that this whole scare coincides with the holiest time of year for Christians. The Lenten fast, Holy Week, all leading up to the holiest day on the Christian calander of Easter. Jesus Christ has already showed us, though it is still difficult for us as humans, that there is victory over death. I know we as humans struggle with this. I know, at least that I do. It is tough when we lose one’s we love, even though we know it is a part of life. It is tough when we face mortality. I know that we all fear, if not for ourselves, loved one’s and friends that are among the most vulnerable to the virus. I know that it has, and is causing anxiety among many.

I still say, we will get through this. I still say, we must humble ourselves and turn towards God.

The coming weeks will be trying. The struggles with shopping, with social distancing, the despair of the news cycle. Don’t let it drag us down any further though.

Throughout the toughest times throughout history. Through flood, famine, persecution, wars, pestillence, and even the Black Plauge we of faith have been on the front lines. We have prayed. We have performed the works of mercy. We have shared with our neighbors. We have consoled those who lost. We have chipped in and have done what needed to be done. We can’t, I won’t stop now.

I am not saying to defy civil laws or rules. I am saying to keep a check on your neighbors. Take care of each other. Help each other be prepared. If a neighbor can’t make it to the store offer to go for them. Look out for each other. Most importantly, take the time to pray and if need be, worship with each other.

I’m as in the dark as the rest of you as to what is coming in the next few weeks. I wish that I knew, or maybe I don’t. But I do know, we’re going to make it, one way or the other. We just have to lean on each other, and most importantly, lean on God.