And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind. For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well. Luke 12:22–31 (RSV)
I watch the squirrels in our backyard busily burying nuts so when Spring arrives, they will have some food after their winter sleep. They do this instinctually as uncounted generations of squirrels before them have done. If it crosses their minds, they do not think of their need in the Spring. They are not anxious about what may come when winter passes.
I spend too much time with numbers. How many infected today, how many in the ICU, on a ventilator, and how many cases in Clayton County. What are the percentages? How many have died? Sometimes those numbers have names that I know, who are more than a statistic. They are members of my parish. They are people who I have pastored over the years. They are friends. They are family.
The numbers wear on me. The names of those I know worry me. I read the words of Jesus about not being anxious, and I know He is speaking to my troubled heart. I hear myself saying, 'But Jesus, what about these numbers? What about the people who are dear to me who are among these numbers? What about those whose jobs are gone? What about those whose lives are turned upside down through no fault of their own? What about those who have died?
The realities of life severely batter faith at times. Now, when numbers become people we know and love in a time of pandemic, faith feels so little, so helpless. If our faith was only a product of human will, it would die under the weight of the numbers. It is in those times that I genuinely envy the squirrels in my backyard. They have no thought or care for any numbers.
The Holy Spirit, the author of faith, lifts my heart from the numbers to the One who is not undone by a pandemic. The Holy Spirit feeds my soul with the hope that does not rely upon the things of this life. The Spirit reminds me that the Father provides for the squirrels in my backyard. He causes the days to come one after the other. A pandemic does not undo his will and purpose.
We are more than a number to the Father. We are His beloved. We are enfolded in His love and purpose even when we cannot see beyond the numbers. The Father's love is never gone from us. As a pandemic stalks the world and our hearts fail within us, He is still God. So even as we are drowning in numbers, His love calms our hearts. We are His, and all we need comes from His hands. We are never a number to Him.