INOCULATION

It’s been a few weeks now since I’ve done any blogging. Geoff does all the technical work on our website and of course he and his family were enjoying some long overdue time away.

But these are big news days lately eh! … A young woman attacked and killed by coyotes in Cape Breton!... NB Power selling out to Hydro Quebec! … These are both huge stories for sure, but by far the biggest story these days is the H1N1 vaccination campaign.

It really is fascinating to consider how this is all unfolding, with polls showing the nation split right down the middle on the issue. On the one hand you have people who say, “No way! I’m not going to get it. It’s too dangerous and untested, or at least unnecessary.” And on the other hand you have people waiting in line for 6 hours in the cold to get one! It makes for an amazing contrast and really causes you to wonder how public opinion can be so polarized on such an important health issue. And, of course, the reality is that both positions are motivated by fear! I don’t know if FDR’s words - “we have nothing to fear but fear itself” – sit all that comfortably with me, but I do know that sometimes fear can overcome us and prevent us from making the right decision.

I watched the gut wrenching interview with the couple from Toronto who lost their 13 year old son this past weekend. Wow! Talk about courage for them to accept an interview like that only days later to tell their story while their hearts shattered into a million pieces on national television!

And then on the other side are those who are just really suspicious of the whole immunization ‘propaganda’ and have some really serious anxieties about getting the stuff pumped into their arms.

I think I’m somewhere in the middle with a lot of others – conflicted. I hate being confused. It goes against my innate desire to be sure about things. But such is life in this world. There is no shortage of ambiguity in it all.

It does remind me though of how thankful I am that the Scriptures are so clear, both about what will happen if we don’t accept Christ, and what will happen if we do. Some will still choose not to accept Him and probably one of the biggest reasons is fear. It can be a scary thing to turn your life over like that and surrender control. It’s a decision that will set the trajectory of your life and seal your fate forever. It really is a matter of trust. Hopefully though, you will realize that without Christ, you’re not going to make it, as certain destruction awaits all those who are overtaken with the human ‘virus’ of sin.

I am no medical professional and I really don’t know much about immunization or H1N1. I am not qualified to give an opinion on the matter and will have to depend upon other authorities just like everyone else. It seems to me that we are just going to have to trust the best sources we can identify. But I do know that when it comes to our eternal destiny, Jesus is the only hope for survival.

“… to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…” 1Jn 1:12