Deb in Liberia: something scarier than ebola

I have been quietly sitting back these last few weeks-- watching the world react to the latest Ebola news-- at times frustrated, at times entertained, at times humiliated. It is mind-blowing to me, how uninformed, dis-compassionate, and judgmental people can be. We are talking about our human family here. West Africa... South Africa... Canada... Europe... America...Texas... all are human beings, members of a global family. We bleed the same and hurt the same and care the same and are all equally vulnerable to a microscopic organism that has the world on alert. But there is something scarier than the Ebola virus. Something that is taking the world by storm and unfortunately up to this point, I would say it is winning.

FEAR.

Four little letters that when joined together bring panic, judgement, and rash behaviors.

Fear is scarier than Ebola. We can not let an epidemic of fear paralyze us. Jeremy Writebol, the son of Ebola survivor, Nancy Writebol, said, "Compassion must proceed fear." Yes! Ebola is scary, but we have the tools to combat it. Reacting in fear and panic makes things worse, not better. In fact, I would strongly argue that, reacting in fear and panic is when the most awful mistakes are made. As a nurse I am trained in critical thinking, in standing back and assessing a situation, in gathering the needed data and acting on it in a practical way. Sometimes (most times) you don't have the answer or know how things are going to turn out, but you cautiously walk forward. When we are truly knowledgeable about a situation-- not flying off the hype of the most recent panic-inducing news report-- that is when we can react in confidence. We know there is a risk. We know there is a big scary world out there. But we don't have to react in fear. Fear is not going to fix anything.

I've said it here before and I still believe it-- God is bigger than Ebola. The Bible says that, "perfect love drives out fear." If you find yourself drowning in fear today, I urge you to ask God for help. If you are not comfortable with that, ask me, or a friend you trust to pray with/for you. Worry and fear do not add a single minute to your life. Walk forward in the knowledge that God is in control. Even if it feels that way, the world is not spinning uncontrollably.

Get the facts, make a plan, be cautious and take precautions, but do not let fear be the controlling factor in your life.