It is amazing how much life has changed in such a short period of time. Many of us may have lost jobs, been forced to reschedule plans until further notice, and don’t know what the next steps for schooling are going to be. We have heard countless stories of the people who are facing the virus and its patients head on, but what about the other people who are still working in the midst of this uncertainty? These are the people who continue to go to their jobs having been deemed essential employees by the government, and they continue serving the community. But how do we as the church best serve them?

First and foremost, these workers need prayer. We may still be putting a smile on our faces and taking every precaution we can to protect ourselves, but on a daily basis the hundreds of customers we serve put us at risk, and to be very honest, many of us are scared. We have had to change how we do our jobs in order to minimize contact, and that makes things more difficult for everyone. We never know if a customer has recently been near someone who could have been infected or even if they are a carrier themselves. We need prayer for protection, and we need prayer for the strength it takes to get through every shift we have right now.

The second is through the active participation of the Fruits of the Spirit. “​But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...” (Galatians 5:22-23). These are principles that we all as Christians are called to follow; and we should be sharing them with everyone we come across. In the workplace, the pressures being put onto the workers are already causing people to crack, they don’t need any added pressure coming from the customers.

I want to ask you to prayerfully consider when you are interacting with a worker in a food industry or customer service position, that you remember the Fruits of the Spirit, and show them the goodness and gentleness that Christ has shown to us. To an employee who has possibly been berated by the last few customers, our showing Christ’s love can mean the world to them.