“Covid Olympics” – Balance Beam event
August 2021
From late July to early August, many of us were focussed, daily, on the Olympics taking place in Toyko, Japan. It was definitely an exciting (and initially anxious) experience. We were also frequently treated to some RBC Training Ground advertising showing a young woman practising on the Balance Beam. The key of performing a successful routine on the beam, of course, is to keep your body weight (and centre of gravity) directly over the centre of the beam – leaning neither to the right nor to the left.
The first edition of the “2020” Olympics is now behind us (the Para-Olympics begin in later August) but here in Manitoba, the next edition of the “Covid Olympics” began for us on August 7 with the new MB Health Orders/Directives being issued. And their initiation has caused considerable concern and uncertainty. It’s as though the regulatory bodies have removed many of the protective “mats” that might have cushioned a fall off the beam – either to the right or to the left. Up until this time, the right side of the beam (directions on how to keep yourself and others safe) have been clear and definite. (masks, physical distancing, gathering outdoors preferred, etc.) The left side of the beam (directives on what is not permitted) have been equally clear - along with the threat of fines should you fall off the beam on the left side!
But now, many people (including myself) have been outfitted on both of my feet with special “vaccination shoes” that give me greater stability and traction on the beam. Should I be trying more ambitious and daring maneuvers on my beam? What about the person on the beam next to me? Will they be distracted into falling off their beam if they see what I’m attempting to do? Or should I just ignore my new “vax shoes” and keep living the restricted (and not very abundant) life I’ve had to live before vaccination shoes were available? (Clearly, there was no point in putting on only one vaccination shoe. If anything, that would make my “Beam walk” even more challenging!)
There are several accounts in the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) where the People of God found themselves in new circumstances – where more choices were available to them about how they might live and prosper. The most dramatic of these was their entrance into the Promised Land after their Exodus from slavery in Egypt, This is what their God-appointed leader impressed upon them:
You shall not turn to the right or to the left. You must follow exactly the path that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you are to possess.
When you first start to learn any kind of gymnastic skill, there are always lots of restrictions placed on your movements - whether padding to soften a fall, or a coach who acts as a spotter and helps direct where your body moves. But as you mature, those are gradually removed and you have to take greater control of your efforts to assure that you accomplish your goal. You have to consciously decide not “to turn to the right or to the left” but to maintain the proper path straight down the “beam.”
In our “Covid Olympics” we now have to take greater responsibility for our movements – making wise choices about how much we need to protect ourselves and others, and how much we need to gain greater confidence in attempting more ambitious “movements of freedom” – all the while keeping ourselves safely on the “beam.” We must not be distracted by those who have basically thrown caution to the wind and are attempting to live entirely as they did pre-Covid. And we must not become fearful – living anxious, impoverished and depressingly limited lives as we did several months ago.
God continues to walk with each one of us as we begin to emerge from these Covid days. God calls us to walk the particular path that God intends for each of us based on our own situation – looking “neither to the right nor to the left.” Seek out reliable wisdom from public health authorities; converse with knowledgeable and trusted “beam companions”; and carry out the life “routines” that God has called you to – with confidence and peace.
