While walking my dog today, I came across this flowering pear tree and was struck by how much it reminds me of this current coronavirus / shutdown situation. Before all the shutdowns, our schedule was filled with exciting plans, but it was also too busy, and I longed for few days off from the grind. A slower pace with my family seemed like the most beautiful gift I could possibly receive at that time. Similarly, the beautiful blossoms on this tree are a lovely gift, bursting forth while our grass is still brown and other deciduous trees remain bare.
However, as I approached this tree's shade, I inhaled it's unpleasant aroma. As we are now walking in the shadow of this shutdown, some of us have discovered that what seemed a beautiful gift at first now smells awful. It stinks because of the why (people are getting sick and dying from a rapidly spreading virus), the when ("indefinitely" = uncomfortable uncertainty which could translate into far longer than we think we can bear), and the how (we are being forced to stay home; it is not our free choice).
Then when you listen to experts and consider the long term consequences of this tree, you realize that despite it's beauty, it can become a menace to people and the environment. Bradford pear trees have weak branch structures and tend to fall apart. Chinese Callery pear trees have thick thorns which can choke out native trees like kudzu tends to do.
If this shutdown is combined with extremely effective & efficient efforts to reduce the spread of the virus while increasing treatment capabilities (the malaria drug I mentioned previously, vaccines, more hospital beds, staff, and equipment capacity, etc.) QUICKLY, then we can fully celebrate the beauty of the blossoms (saved lives, fewer people infected, slower pace, family time, etc.). However, if this shutdown is too extreme or prolonged for too long, the consequences could be dire.
This shutdown carries with it extremely sharp thorns that could choke the economy and the American spirit for quite some time. The government may seem to have a lot of power to control us, but it provides a very weak branch structure to sustain us. The deficit is already so enormous, the federal government can't really afford any type of stimulus as it is, but a few $1000 checks will not sustain anyone who becomes unemployed as a result of this crisis (I've heard that 20% or more could lose their jobs), nor can it bail out the countless small businesses which will be devastated as a result. The government cannot heal those who will enter deep depressions, restore marriages, or rescue those who will turn to drugs and alcohol for escape. The government doesn't have the resources or the capability to restore what this shutdown could cost us if becomes too restrictive or lasts too long.
A gardeners and/or arborist can tend this tree and work to minimize the negative risks it carries, but ultimately, this tree and all those around it rely on God for light, nourishment, and protection. Similarly, we must do our part to protect the weak and vulnerable, provide and love on those in need, pray for the scientists, healthcare workers, and government representatives working and making decisions to help alleviate this crisis while searching for the proper balance to maintain physical, mental, relational, and economic health, but we ultimately must rely on God, whose wisdom, resources and power are limitless, to provide, nurture, and protect us all.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and its fullness are mine. (Psalm 50:10-12)
“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten.... You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
And praise the name of the Lord your God...
Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel:
I am the Lord your God
And there is no other.
My people shall never be put to shame." (Joel 2:25-27)
