Tag Archives: Woes and blessings

Woes and blessings in the age of coronavirus, Rachel Blackmon Bryars

Those of us who grew up in the Bible Belt are very familiar with the good book’s many “woe-to-the” passages. Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep. Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil. Woe to the foolish. These passages have never been among my favorites, but the general phrase kept coming to mind this week, with a coronavirus twist. I still don’t like the woe-to-the mindset. I don’t like feeling angry. I don’t want to feed resentment. I want to hope for the best, believe the best, point to the best. Which is why I’m forcing my mind to pivot to a different phrase, “Blessed-are-the.” Blessed are the nurses, doctors, hospital staff, and medical workers of all types working tirelessly for days and nights on end. Who are on the front lines in a life-and-death battle. Who are heroes, each one. Blessed are the farmers, the ranchers, and the fishermen — remaining in the pastures, the fields, and on the seas so that we may feed our families. Blessed are the truckers who bring it all to market. >click to read< 07:23