I got COVID!
Steve & Laura Spinella
It’s true. That was the big event of my last month. I’ve tried to be careful. I’ve worn a mask when others haven’t, I’ve stopped travelling internationally since the pandemic started, and I even dropped my small group in the spring when our kids were pregnant and worried about infecting the babies. We limited shopping trips etc. I got a vaccine as soon as I was eligible, and I was waiting to be eligible for the booster.
All the same, a vaccinated friend was in our home for a small group meeting, and I was the one who got it. (She had symptoms the next morning.) I think it’s possible I infected others in my next small group, four days later, before I had symptoms on the sixth day.
Laura didn’t get it, and in fact was able to help take care of our friend. And three weeks later I have only a few lingering reminders I was sick. And yesterday I got the booster as well!
I hope you’ll show me some forbearance if my decisions were different than yours. It appears these days that is one of the risks of this pandemic.
Speaking of risks…
All this got me thinking that one of the challenges in international ministry is dealing with risk. There are lots of risks. In fact, when we first arrived in Taiwan, people were surprised we came, as a large nearby country was launching missiles off the cost while Taiwan prepared for its first direct presidential election. (March, 1996.) I just responded that we figured one more family on an island of 22 million wouldn’t make much difference.
Accept risk
So that’s my first principle. In international ministry, as in life, we often need to begin by accepting risks. These come in many flavors, and like all risks, they may not come to fruition, but they are real possibilities. In 1996, Taiwan elected a President, we did not evacuate, and our kids did fine in their new school. Our five year olds got stuck in a faulty elevator, Laura was rear-ended after dropping the kids off at school, and life went on. In fact, we even survived the super large earthquake a few years later, and I could go on for a long time about other challenges we accepted, some intentionally and some by surprise. This week a friend was surprised I had made a trip to Afghanistan. I don’t suppose it needs to be a secret now since the government has changed anyway. Accepting risk is part of life and ministry.
Lower risk
To the degree we’re good at accepting risk, we’re probably poor at lowering risk, and vice versa. But lowering risk is an equally important second principle for me. An old English preacher told the story of a rich person who interviewed potential carriage drivers, asking them the question, “How close can you come to the edge of a cliff on a narrow mountain road?” He hired the one who said, “My goal is to keep you as far away from the edge of the road as possible.” Since life includes many risks, we may even be selecting between risks—do I trust a taxi driver or do I drive a scooter? Do I ride my bike in the traffic and pollution or do I stay indoors? I’m holding myself back here. Choices about lowering risk are endless and ubiquitous.
Share risk
Sharing risk goes two ways: One, others take risks, and as I come alongside them, I share in those risks. Two, I take risks and they affect those who are in my sphere of influence. I’m not going to talk about driving and riding in cars, as Laura and I have already been talking about this for years (mainly in cars.) But what about counseling? One saying I liked from Patrick Lencioni was as follows: ‘There are plenty of people who will tell us the truth, and there are plenty who will tell us what we want to hear. What is in short supply is people who will tell us the gentle truth! [Recollected paraphrase.]’ As an inveterate change agent, I more frequently err on the side of telling people the “truth,” even though I’m in a profession that is known for telling people what they want to hear. (That way, they come back to see you again!) So I’ve worked on my gentleness, but I’ve also had to repent and make amends for offenses. And unfortunately, I’m not even always right. Imagine that. Jesus suffered rejection, but he didn’t sin. Me—not so much. (And if I’ve offended you and not made amends, please let me know. I would like to do so if it’s possible without causing further harm.)
Of course, sharing risk is part of coming alongside people, whether it’s caring for the sick, visiting people in Afghanistan, or meeting in a small group when one out of 50 people in Colorado have COVID.
What about you?
What is your philosophy of risk management? How do you accept risk, lower risk, and share risk? What is God calling you to do in response to the uncertainties of life and relationship? Can you understand why someone would go to a country they’re not from in order to love and influence others? Even if you personally would not take that risk?
Most of all, with love, in the one who keeps us, Steve and Laura