To the Editor,

In the recent Fargo, N.D. protests against a COVID mask mandate (and/or vaccine mandate), a sign could be seen in the crowd of protesters which said: “Faith Not Fear.” It immediately made me think of a modern-day parable I heard years ago.  I have no idea to whom it should be credited, but I don’t think they’ll mind if I share it anyway. It went something like this: 

One spring, after a winter of very heavy snowfall, a city near a river was in imminent danger of devastating flooding. 

Newscasters and weather forecasters issued a warning for evacuation over every TV channel and radio station. Many people believed them and left their homes for higher ground.  But one man said, “I’m not leaving my house. I’m not afraid. I have faith that God will protect me from any flooding.” 

The next day, the flood waters were splashing up against the foundation of the man’s house. A driver in a National Guard humvee stopped and said, “Get in. I’ll take you to safety.”  Again the man said, “I’m not leaving. I have faith, not fear. God will save me.” 

A few hours later, as the floodwaters continued to rise up to his windowsills, a guy in boat comes by and says, “Get in! I’ll take you to safety!” 

Now hanging out of his upstairs windows, the man hollers down, “Nope. God will save me from the flood.” 

Several hours later, the floodwaters had forced the man to stand on his roof while the water lapped at his feet. 

A helicopter spots the man, hovers over him, and the pilot yells down, “This is your last chance to get saved. I’ll throw down a ladder rope. Grab hold!” 

And, again, the man yells back, “God will save me. I have faith, not fear!” 

The man ends up drowning, and when he gets to Heaven he asked God, “I had faith! I wasn’t afraid! Why didn’t you save me?” 

God sadly shakes His head and said, “My dear child, I sent you news reports,  a humvee, a boat and a helicopter to save you. What more did you want?” 

(I added the “news reports” part. I’m pretty sure the original was written quite a while before cell phones even existed. Nevertheless, the gist is the same.) 

Do I believe that God can and still does offer us “supernatural” miracles?  Of course, I do! I also believe that God most often just adds His “super” to  human beings’ “natural” to help carry out His plan for our welfare. I have faith, not fear, too.  I have faith in God’s ability to add His “super” to scientists’ “natural.” And,  I’m very glad I got my vaccine before I heard the chopper blades above me. 

God’s Peace, 

Sherry Blaine

Frazee 

P.S.  Feel free to Google “great spiritual leaders who contracted Covid”