By Larry Robertson
Pastor, Hilldale Baptist Church, Clarksville
One of our sources of conflict these days is personal liberties versus public good. And opinions are rarely vague.
Masks or no masks? Social distancing or up in each other’s faces? Stay at home or live and let live (or die, whatever).
Some are writing, “Give me liberty or give me death!” on their protest posters. Seriously? Can we all say mel·o·dra·mat·ic?
Listen, I’m not suggesting that any of this is easy. And nobody wants to get back to “normal” more than me. But we need to find balance in our approach.
Our state’s governor, for instance, is trying to be responsible and respectful in reopening our state. But I grow weary of critics (on both sides) who scream, “It’s all or nothing!” We need balance, but balance can be a tedious thing.
Larry Robertson
The measures taken in the beginning and along the way have, among other things, bought doctors and scientists time to figure out what we’re dealing with. Were they wrong on some things? Sure, just like we all are when we try to predict the future. But they were right about a lot of things.
I hate wearing a mask. My glasses fog up and I think it’s less than flattering. (Hey, some of us need all the help we can get.) But I’ll wear one if it helps in our fight against a global pandemic.
As introverted as I am, I miss people — living, breathing people that I can touch and feel their presence. But I’ll Zoom and FaceTime if it helps in our fight against a global pandemic.
I like to go where I want when I want. But I’ll limit my activities if it helps in our fight against a global pandemic.
Why? Because I’m a Christian before I’m an American. And Christians are driven by love more than liberty.
Yeah? What if they discover that social distancing, masks, and quarantines were ineffective? Well, I don’t think they’re going to make such a discovery because we’ve already seen their merits. But, even if they did, so what?
I’d rather care too much than too little. I’d rather err on the side of caution than regret I didn’t do enough. I’d rather look back upon this season of human history and believe I was part of the solution and not part of the problem.
And, by the way, nobody’s forcing me to do anything. I choose the public good over my personal liberties. I choose to love my neighbor more than my self-interests.
And I choose the Word of God as my guiding document before the Constitution.
Do we have to agree on this or anything? Nope. And when all this is over, I’ll still buy you a mucho grande burrito if you’ll let me. Just keep your judgment to yourself if I sip cheese dip through a straw. B&R
