Is the Pandemic a Test of Humanity?

‘Nothing is really stable. But if we choose to surrender every part of our being, every part of our selves, every nook and cranny of our life, He will make each one of us flourish. From there, there is safety and security’

By Chi Atienza-Valdepeñas

Some believe that COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease that takes away the life of a small percentage of those infected. Some say it is the worst virus one can ever have, while some say it’s just like a mild case of the flu. But why are there so many people dying these days?

Most people I know who  passed away recently did not die because of COVID-19. They died from heart attack or heart failure. Some even took their own lives for fear that the darkness that lurks over our world today are just too much for them to bear.

It’s the loss of freedom of movement, the warm relations we look forward to having, the actual fear of not being in control of the situation that has catapulted anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and fear to an all-time high. I believe that what pushes us to the unfathomable abyss is the fact that we have lost all the pillars that we used to hold on to.

Materialism can no longer give us comfort. Work is now elusive and those with means of income are faced with challenges. There is no security anywhere. Goals that one used to hold on to are no longer very visible, given that we do not know when this whole pandemonium would end.

“Powerful” and influential people are now recalibrating their stance, from accumulating wealth to offering help to the less fortunate.  Everyone is grappling to cling on to dear life – but even then, we don’t know if we will still be alive tomorrow to wake up and see the sun shine bright. What this pandemic took away are the pillars we used to hold on to daily. It’s these Asherah poles we cling on to when we are scared, lost, and in pain. Without them, others lose hope and some choose to just give up.

As a Christian and a woman who seeks God’s will in all things, I must say that my heart has been purged of all these “powerful” poles I thought were important prior to this pandemic. One by one the Lord took all that I falsely held on to. He pulled each one of my security blankets and made me realize that all along, I was not living my life the way He wanted me to.

I thought I was being righteous. I thought I was noble. I realized now that all along, I had clung on to things that were not really stable. The Lord had to shake them for me to realize that all I needed was today and that He was the only one that truly mattered. Our role in this earth is to serve the Lord whether or not we see the end in sight.

Nothing is really stable. But if we choose to surrender every part of our being, every part of our selves, every nook and cranny of our life, He will make each one of us flourish. From there, there is safety and security.

We may not know when this pandemic will end. We do not know if we will make it tomorrow or if we will die. Everything that we have comes from Him and when we have served our purpose in this lifetime, He will take us. There should be no room for fear. And while He gives us our breath to stay on, we must make the most out of it by asking each day “ How do I serve you today?,” “Who do I help today?”, “Where do I go today?” In lifting all of our being to His sovereign will, anxiety wanes down and fear is cast away.

In the long run, when all this is over and we are given a second chance in life, we must become better humans, living a life that serves His purpose, being of help to others who are lost, being a vessel to bring heaven on earth.  The pandemic may be jolting all of us now.  But if we decide to change our paradigm and we start trusting that He has a good purpose behind all these, we will make it. And we will be the catalyst to make this pandemic a blessing and not a curse. We may just bring about a better tomorrow that the next generation may lavish in.

Chi Atienza-Valdepeñas is an actress, commercial model, and co-owner of Atienza Naturale. She is married to businessman Von Valdepeñas and is a mother of three. Chi is a pro-life advocate who believes that each life is a gift.

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