To Be or Not to Be ~ Shakespeare

 

I don’t remember there ever being a time when there was one question for the entire world to come to grips with. To be vaccinated or not to be vaccinated. The internet is inundated with information on the subject. There are fierce arguments on both sides of the question. Many feel the need to defend their choice and it is becoming a serious point of dissention between family members, friends, and the saddest of all, between members of God’s family.

There are serious ramifications for either choice. The problem is that we have no way of knowing exactly what the consequences will be. There is no way to run a controlled test. You could die if you don’t get the jab and you could have serious long term health complications if you do. You could slide through the immunization with nothing more than a bit of a sore arm for a day or two, and/or you could skip through a covid infection with nary a hiccough. There is no way of knowing before hand how your body will respond in either scenario. The more one reads on the internet the more confusing the whole thing seems to get.

I have heard so many people tell me, “Well, I have done my research and I know_________.” I don’t personally know of anyone who has actually done the necessary research themselves to help discern which way to go. ‘Research’ implies that you have a hypothesis which you are testing. You run a controlled group and a variable group. Then after testing your hypothesis from many angles, you ask your peers – other professionals in this field of study –  to review your research and see if they can poke any holes in your study. You keep going back to the proverbial drawing board until you are satisfied that you have run a thorough test of your hypothesis and you believe it to be accurate. Then, and only then, can you say you have ‘done your research’. How about we all acknowledge that we have read someone else’s research? In truth, we are all trusting someone whom we most likely do not have a close relationship with. How do we know their research is reliable? How do we know if our own body will respond the way their research says it will? How is one ever supposed to make an intelligent, knowledgeable decision, the best decision, the right decision? And if it is right for me, does that mean it is right for everyone?

I am not here to try and convince you to go one way or the other. What I would love to see is my brothers and sisters in Christ treating each other with love and respect. Take for granted you are wrong in at least some aspects of your thinking. You do not have all the knowledge there is on the subject.

I would like to share with you some tools that my husband and I used to come to our decision.

Several years ago, we attended a seminar on learning to hear God’s voice; practicing corporate as well as individual discernment. The words our speaker used were ‘desolation’ and ‘consolation’. Desolation is the sense you get that something is not right. You may not be able to put a finger on it; you just know that inner peace is lacking. In fact, it may go beyond the lack of peace to a downright awful feeling of angst and fear. Consolation on the other hand is a deep settled peaceful heart. It seems right. Again, you may not be able to articulate it clearly but you just ‘know because you know’.

In order to keep things as clear as possible, it is essential to not bring a whole bunch of variables to God at the same time. Not because he can’t handle it, but because we won’t hear clearly if there are too many things on the table.

Let’s discuss the question about whether to be vaccinated or not. The only way you will hear Jesus clearly is if you come to the table with ‘indifference’. I don’t mean with an ‘I don’t care’ attitude but with a willingness to do whatever he directs even if it goes against what you have thought up to this point. If you are considering getting the vaccine, rather than asking, “Should I get the vaccine?” try saying it like this: “I would like to get the vaccine, what do you think?” Then sit in it and wait. Moving forward toward the idea of getting vaccine do you feel a sense of desolation or consolation? Or, if you are leaning toward not getting vaccine, ask Jesus, “What are your thoughts on me not getting vaccinated?” Now sit in that for a while. Which one seems to rise, desolation or consolation?

This may not be a fast journey. Take time to sit in both scenarios. Move back and forth between them. Imagine you are going for your vaccine with Jesus. Is he throwing a red flag on your path? Do you sense a feeling of relief? Is there more desolation or more consolation? Now imagine walking away from the vaccine. Again, test this. Is there growing desolation or growing consolation?

God created you in his image. He is all knowing. He alone knows what your body will do with the vaccine or with getting covid, or both. If you take time to go through this exercise in an unhurried manner, I believe with all my heart that God will make it clear to you which way to go. When you have heard from him, I suggest you stop reading the articles on social media because the enemy would love nothing better than to make you second guess your decision, thereby stealing your peace. Stand on what God has revealed to you. If you are a Jesus follower, you have his Spirit in you. He did not give you a ‘junior Holy Spirit’ or some lesser version. He gave you his very own Spirt to direct you according to his plan. I beg you to take time to sit and listen for what he is telling you.

“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” (Ezekiel 36:26–27, NLT) [emphasis mine]

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” (John 14:26, NLT)

When the vaccines were first rolled out, we were skeptical and figured we would never get one because it seemed to be coming too fast, with not enough long-term studies and results. We did a lot of reading on the pros and cons of the vaccine. We talked to our doctor and our pharmacist. We talked to our kids and siblings. Then we finally decided it was time to ask Jesus. He knows stuff. After a few months of sitting with the question – we wanted to be sure we were hearing Holy Spirit and not just making up our own mind about the issue, there was too much at stake – we came to a decision that we felt confident was best for us, for our family, and for our church family and ministry opportunities. We are at peace. We experienced desolation when we leaned in one direction and consolation when we leaned in the other. Now if things go South, we still are confident that Jesus lead us in the direction we went. He then is responsible for helping us deal with the consequences of the decision.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6–7, NLT)

If all of God’s people would approach the choice in this manner, we would not feel compelled to try and change each other’s minds. We could embrace each brother/sister as equal before God, trusting that they also heard Holy Spirit speaking. We would not take opposition to our choice personally but would be able to respect the choices of one another. The watching world would sit up and take notice that something supernatural was taking place in our family of believers.