Coming Together at Six Feet Apart

2020 has been a year that has been rough for everyone: parents, students, front-line workers, first responders, and everyone in between. With the pandemic, the upcoming election, and other everyday problems such as unemployment, it can feel as though we are alone. However, in a time where the world seems so isolated, people have been coming together every day to do good! We were taught by God to “love your neighbor as yourself” and even in a time of isolation, it can still be seen today by neighbors offering to go grocery shopping for their elderly neighbor next door, cooking dinner for someone who is struggling with a loss, or telling the store clerk how much you appreciate their service during this time. Loving your neighbor does not have to be a grand gesture with balloons, confetti, and a gigantic sign, it can often be something small such as calling a friend to see how they are doing or offering to be a shoulder to cry on for someone who has had a rough day.

I am a social work major and in social work, it is our job to help those who need it the most. It is our job to reach out to those struggling to keep their head above water and in a time that we have all been forced to be apart from one another, I have witnessed so many people reach out with helping hands from a distance of six feet apart. With so much suffering in the world, it can sometimes feel as though God is too busy to hear our prayers, but I think just the opposite: God has heard our prayers and is inspiring to do his good acts. In this week’s reading, Exodus 22, the passage reads “If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate.” (Ex 22:26), God tells us that He has not forgotten his people, instead He has heard our prayers and it is our duty during these hard times to reach out to our neighbors because it is what we would want our neighbors to do for us.

This year has been unlike any year that we can most likely remember, but if we continue to help our neighbors, these hard times will become easier on both those we are helping and ourselves. Our faith will help us to come together during this pandemic, even as we remain six feet apart. Remember that it is ok to ask for help and when a neighbor or friend asks for help, try to answer the call, because you may be able to help lift a heavy burden off their shoulders.