In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;
   do not let me ever be put to shame;
   in your righteousness deliver me. 
Incline your ear to me;
   rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
   a strong fortress to save me. 

Psalm 31:1-2

I’ll Never Forget the Moment I Tested Positive

It was September of 2021, and I’d just gotten back from traveling around Romania and Turkey with my family. The pandemic raged on, but our entire family was fully vaccinated, and it seemed like a great moment to go and see relatives overseas. On returning, I attended an event that led to several breakthrough infections, including mine. I was on my back for a week.

But the sickness couldn’t hold a candle to the shame.

Shame! That’s what I felt, more than anything else. I was ashamed that I’d let my guard down, ashamed that I’d caught this virus.

But What is Shame Anyway?

It’s just a regretful response to something you did. That’s it. And when it comes to a virus and a pandemic, if you’re vaccinated and you’re masking, if you’re taking precautions…it’s not your fault that you got sick. The irony of shame in this situation is that it doesn’t help anyone anyway! So you got sick. Get good treatment and follow your doctor’s instructions. Getting sick is a part of the human condition.

I’ll even go a step further: it’s not your fault if you got sick even if you’re NOT vaccinated! That might be an unpopular opinion in very-vaccinated Vaxachusetts, but ultimately, you get the virus because the virus is good at what it does. God doesn’t want you to be sick. You’re not being punished for anything. It’s nature, and it’s science, and God walks with us through all of that.

Please Get Vaccinated if You Can

It would be highly irresponsible for me to not recommend, as a spiritual leader in Southborough, that you get vaccinated. It”s an important step for all of us getting back to normal. But just as shame is misplaced, so is triumphal self-righteousness. Because Omicron is a mean strain, and it does what it does very effectively; it spreads like wildfire. Fortunately, the symptoms seem to be less intense than with Delta or the other strains we’ve faced if you’re vaccinated.

I don’t want you to feel poorly. I don’t think God does either. So thank you for getting vaccinated so we can protect others around us, especially those who, for whatever reason, can’t be vaccinated. There’s no shame in getting Covid this time; at the moment I’m writing this, most of us know someone who’s got it. Far more important for me is that we hold one another in prayer, and help anyone out who needs help securing meals or other resources.

You’re in my prayers: if you have Covid, I’m praying for your healing. If you don’t, I pray you can give it a miss this time around. And above all, remember: there’s no shame in contracting a virus. God loves you, and so do I. Be well out there!