Safer at Home: Facing Post-Pandemic Life without Fear

The idea of the baby shower hadn’t bothered me weeks beforehand. I even thought it could be fun.

But the day of the event, the idea of getting myself all ready and summoning the energy needed to socialize with a group of people grew more and more daunting.

Home seemed more and more comforting, restful…safe.

This experience is a common one for introverts—people for whom socializing is a draining activity. Some of us introverts enjoy social interaction, but it always takes something out of us, leaving us vulnerable in some ways.

Socializing for introverts takes a conscious, somewhat sacrificial investment—a giving up of our own preferences, comfort, and sometimes sense of safety for the sake of something more important.

For introverts, then, going out of our homes to interact with other people can become something to fear.

Thanks to the strange effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, even some extroverts are beginning to have an inkling of how introverts can feel about social engagement.

As isolation regulations begin to change and relax, people are starting to regain some of their freedoms—freedom to go out of their homes and actually interact with other human beings, face to face (though masked, perhaps).

But, while such freedom is good and is what we wanted, as the reality draws near—or has already arrived in some areas—the murmuring of fear grows louder.

Is it actually safe to go out? Will I or my loved ones be at risk if we leave our homes?

Suddenly, home starts to seem more and more comforting. Home seems so safe.

After all, we just spent months in forced isolation in our homes. While that was undesired by most, many of us have seen that at least we’re safer at home.

Those of us who didn’t have to go out to jobs see the security granted by staying behind our house’s walls and closed doors. The danger can’t touch us if we don’t go out, right?

While the doors and options are beginning to open to us at last, many find, now that the moment we wanted so badly—the restoration of our freedom—is here, we’re hesitant to step out and return to life as we knew it.

It’s not that we’ve changed or resorted priorities that needed to be shifted. The truth is that, while we thought we were safe at home, fear took up residence with us.

When the pandemic first hit close to home, infringing on the fabric of our lives and affecting our culture to a degree most of us have never seen, the coronavirus attack made us aware of a reality we usually try to ignore—we are not in control.

We finally had to admit we couldn’t control our future (goodbye plans!) or our present (how many people are working and schooling from home now?). We realized we couldn’t prevent a tiny virus from infecting and killing people.

We had to admit we don’t always have a cure or foolproof treatment to save lives. We don’t always know what’s going on.

We are not in control.

But during these months that have followed the first surge of the pandemic panic, the success we’ve seen in keeping the death and illness tolls lower than predicted and the safety we’ve experienced in our homes has worked against us in one crucial way.

We think we’re in control again.

That’s our natural tendency, isn’t it? I know I want to be in control. When I think I can prevent bad things from happening, I feel more at peace. I feel safe. And I’m not as afraid.

Until I get a glimpse of the truth.

I am never in control. The pandemic proves it. Life proves it. Everything proves it. I’m choosing to believe lies whenever I think I can control my future or my present.

And, here’s the thing, there’s an even bigger lie I’m believing when I cling to the belief that I’m in control. I’m buying—hook, line, and sinker—the lie that I’d be better off if I were in control.

Think about it for a moment. If I were in control of the COVID-19 virus, for example, I wouldn’t know who should contract the virus and who shouldn’t. I’d probably sic it on the people I think are the most evil in the world. I’d spare everyone who seemed good and innocent. Or maybe I’d just kill off the virus completely. Disarm it so it couldn’t hurt anyone.

If I were in control of my life, I’d give myself only happiness and good things all the time. I’d never let myself experience hardship. I’d make everyone I love live forever.

In both scenarios, I would destroy everything beautiful and wondrous that the Lord is accomplishing through the coronavirus, hardship, and even deaths and loss.

But, praise the Lord, I’m not the one in control. My vision is so limited, my wisdom so insufficient, my knowledge and understanding a joke. And I am driven by selfishness and other sinful desires—including the desire to be my own god.

God knows why He brought about the coronavirus. He knows how He is using the pandemic in incredible ways for His glory and the good of those who love Him. He sees all, knows all, and controls all. And He is not driven by sin. He is completely, perfectly good. He is love. He is mercy. He is grace.

As I face the prospect of an open door out of my home, into the life of socializing and living as we did before, fear threatens to keep me inside.

It’s so dangerous out there. And it seems so safe in my home.

But the truth is, I’m not in control or as safe as I think in my home either.

My comfort—if I want a comfort that will last and that is real and true—must be this:

The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
– Psalm 121:8

An anonymous source said:

You can’t discover new oceans unless you have the courage to leave the shore.

God has amazing experiences and circumstances planned for your life. They may not always be fun. They might even be painful. But He will use them to bring you closer to Him and grow you to be more like Him.

And if you follow Him and trust in His loving sovereignty, there will be much joy and peace along the way.

Will you step out the door with me? Let’s take His hand and step into our future with courage.

He will keep us in His arms when we go out and when we come in.

And then, we may finally learn that only in His arms are we truly Home.

Do you have fears related to the pandemic? Do you fear things you know you can’t control? Please share!