Faith | Prayer, faith and thank you’s are key in the COVID pandemic

Some of the most heart-wrenching (and inspirational) experiences I have heard during this pandemic have involved frontline medical workers.

In all parts of the world, the spikes in hospital patient numbers at the height of the pandemic put these passionate and brave workers into situations that they had never dreamed of. My heart goes out to all of the doctors, nurses, aides, and receptionists who daily faced scenes of chaos, suffering, and death.

One experience I read about involved a registered nurse named Brianna, who lives in the Spokane area. She not only had to cope with the daily stress and exhaustion of dealing with countless COVID-19 patients, she also worried that she would bring the virus home to her daughter, Lucy.

She said she was facing “death on a regular basis,” and that a lot of patients were “declining and dying.”

The mental and emotional fortitude that Brianna showed was demanded of the thousands of medical workers who were suddenly thrown into this blender of uncertainty and sadness.

Many quit their jobs in the medical field because they just couldn’t deal with the stress and trauma anymore. Some, like Brianna, looked to other places for strength and support.

As a Jehovah’s Witness, Brianna was assisted greatly by her faith and her fellow believers. She said that prayer and a good spiritual routine were key to dealing with this trying situation.

Fellow Witnesses also dropped off hand-painted cards with encouraging scriptures or notes to let Brianna and Lucy know they were thinking of them.

“It just really touched my heart,” she said, adding that it was a reminder that she wasn’t alone.

She also cited helpful articles on www.jw.org, such as “How to Beat Pandemic Fatigue.”

I live in Walla Walla, and I watched the COVID cases climb steadily at times. Since then, I have heard from others in the community how the circumstances at our medical facilities were traumatic and chaotic at times.

I also saw large COVID-19 case numbers in the Tri-Cities, and my thoughts immediately went to the frontline medical workers there, hoping they were able to successfully cope with the stressful effects of this pandemic.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who would like to thank all the hard-working medical personnel for their continued efforts to help patients deal with the effects of this virus, as well as the many other maladies that we contend with today.

As for me personally, I wholeheartedly look forward to the realization of the Bible’s words found in Isaiah 33:24, where it promises a wonderful future reality: “No resident will say: ‘I am sick.’”