Exodus 32:1-24, 30-35
I have a colleague who is the pastor of a small congregation in Oklahoma. Her husband is also a pastor of a medium-sized church. She shared with me this week that people in Oklahoma are tired of the pandemic and have basically stopped taking precautions. For example, against her husband’s guidance, his church has held several large gatherings (dinners, youth group), and did not require people to wear masks. They are both worried about the risks that are being taken by his congregation, but don’t know what they can do about it.
People all over America can probably relate to this. We are all tired of the pandemic and the changes that it has brought about to our lives, personally and in various settings such as work, school, and church. We are tired of waiting for life to get back to “normal,” and so some people have been taking more and more risks by giving up on precautions such as wearing masks, limiting the size of gatherings, and observing social distancing. Others have begun or increased destructive practices, such as abusing alcohol or drugs. And those with mental health issues are seeing an increase in the number and severity of their symptoms. Still other people have lashed out over social media, mocking those who do choose to wear masks, and touting misinformation that goes against our best scientific and medical knowledge about COVID-19 and how to prevent its spread.
There is actually a term for what people are experiencing: it is called COVID fatigue. This fatigue is “compounded stress and exhaustion from worrying about the coronavirus,” according to the University of Wisconsin. It is an overall sense of exhaustion based on the combination of challenges people are facing during this pandemic. As a publication from UC-Davis puts it, “We’re tired of being cooped up, tired of being careful, tired of being scared. Our collective fatigue is making some people careless …” As a result of this COVID fatigue, health care providers are seeing an increase in people who are feeling defeated, burned out and engaging in risky behaviors that can actually increase the spread of the virus.
In many cities and states, the results of COVID fatigue and the increase in risky behaviors has led to an uptick in the number of new cases being reported. As New Hampshire has increasingly reduced the restrictions – such as restaurant indoor seating capacity and in-person learning in schools – we have seen the daily cases increase from the single digits to something over 50-75. And in other states, it is even worse.
It all got me thinking about another group of people who got tired of waiting and who reacted with risky behavior that led to disastrous results.
The Israelites had been freed from slavery in Egypt and Moses had led them through the wilderness to Mount Sinai. God had called Moses up the mountain to receive the covenant Law for the people, and they remained camped at the foot of the mountain. Moses was gone for a long time, and the people began to get restless. They wondered what was taking him so long up there. And they doubted that anything good was going to come from all that waiting. So they went to Aaron and told him that they wanted some other god to worship, some god that they could see, some god that might actually do them some good. (So much for the God who had sent the plagues in Egypt that got the Pharaoh to agree to release them, or the God who had parted the Red Sea for them, or the God who provided them with food and water in the desert!)
Well, Aaron wasn’t such a strong personality that he could stand up to the pressure of the crowd. So he took up a collection of gold from the earrings that people wore, and he melted it down, and he formed an idol that was in the image of a calf. And he called the people to worship before that golden calf the next day. So the people prepared sacrifices and they offered them to this golden calf, and they began to eat and drink and be merry.
God knew what was going on at the foot of his mountain, so he sent Moses back down to confront the people with their sin. Moses carried with him two tablets of stone on which the very finger of God had written the Ten Commandments. When he got to the foot of the mountain, he heard the noise from the camp and he knew that the people were feasting and partying in front of their new god. And when he saw them before that golden calf, he got so angry that he threw down the tablets and they broke into pieces. Then Moses threw the golden calf into the fire and burned it, ground it into powder, mixed it with water, and made the people drink it.
Next, Moses turned to Aaron and asked, “What did these people do to you to get you to lead them into such great sin?” And Aaron tried to make excuses for himself. He didn’t take any responsibility for making the golden calf; instead, he said that he threw the gold into the fire and out jumped the calf. It was ridiculous, and Moses knew it. Even his own brother had given up and gotten tired of waiting for what God was preparing for the people. And now the people would pay the price. Even though Moses interceded with them before God, God still declared that the people would be punished. And he struck them with a plague. And I’m sure people died.
When people today get tired of waiting, and choose risky behavior, it also leads to disastrous results. They may get COVID themselves, and they can pass it along to others. Think about how many cases were traced to the motorcycle rally in South Dakota? And how many were traced to the wedding in Maine? When people make bad choices because they are tired of waiting for things to change, they get bad results, not only for themselves, but even for others.
So what should we do to handle the COVID fatigue? What would be some better choices?
One thing people can do is exercise. Any exercise – even just a short walk – can help. Exercise releases endorphins and gets some of the adrenaline out when the frustration builds up. Just getting out and moving will be very beneficial for people.
Another thing people can do is talk to each other about what they are feeling. Just being able to say it out loud can reduce the amount of pressure that you feel. Trying to ignore your feelings won’t make them go away. As Kaye Hermanson, psychologist at UC-Davis, says, “It’s like trying to hold a beachball underwater – eventually you lose control and it pops out. You can’t control where it goes or who it hits.”
Another plan is to control our use of electronics and social media. Some people are experiencing Zoom burnout, and it’s important for them to get away from their computer screens for a while. Even just getting up and walking around for two minutes every hour can help reverse the negative health effects from sitting for long periods of time. We can limit how much social media we are exposed to and we can be aware of the kinds of news we are consuming.
Still another way to respond is by practicing mindfulness and gratitude. We have to live in the moment; we put ourselves through a lot of unnecessary misery and worry when we try to project into the future or dwell on the past. We are here, now. Just take life day by day. And try to think of something each day to be grateful for. Your life. Your family. The beauty of the autumn leaves.
Finally, if you choose to get out more, to visit family, to eat out, to travel, just do so while taking proper precautions and following health guidelines. Just because you’re tired of wearing a mask, it doesn’t mean the danger is not there. Continue to mask up, wash your hands, practice social distancing. Do what you can to keep yourself and others safe. Be smart about how you venture out into the world.
The last thing I would say about this is that, sooner or later, this too shall pass. There will be a day when we have COVID under control. There may be a day when we can practically eradicate it once we have a safe vaccine. Life will be more “normal” again. But in the meantime, we wait. We wait and we do what we need to do to be safe. We don’t make bad choices just because we are impatient. And we remember that God is with us through these days of waiting.
