Monday Morning Manna: Sheltering in Place and Going Cold Turkey

Thanks to the Coronavirus, I am sheltered in place, but I am also going cold turkey. Wikipedia defines “cold turkey” as “the abrupt cessation of a substance dependence and the resulting unpleasant experience,” No, I don’t have any drug addictions to cancel, nor am I am alcoholic, and I never smoked, except once in first grade, when my next-door-neighbor friend got a pack of his father’s cigarettes so he and I could smoke them behind the barn. Two weeks later, I stopped vomiting and color returned to my face. Funny how I’ve never desired another cigarette. So, what kind of cold turkey am I experiencing? Sports. Due to coronavirus all spring sports have been cancelled. No March madness. No spring training baseball on TV. Nothing on the Golf Channel. Ice Hockey is over, even in Canada. NASCAR engines are silent. A recent weekend TV listing in the newspaper Sports Section stated, “No live or same-day taped events.” I don’t have cold sweats, but I am having strange withdrawal symptoms, like watching multiple re-runs of “All in the Family” followed by “Sanford and Son.” Oh, and I’ve been spending more time reading my Bible, and that’s good. Just this week, I was reminded that God’s people were told to “shelter in place” so to speak: “You shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning” (Exodus 12:22). So, it’s not so bad. God is with us. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). If you are “sheltered in place,” you are not alone, nor are you alone if you are going cold turkey on sports.

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.