I:ur household has chosen to self-quarantine because of COVID-19 to protect at-risk individuals, and to follow all government/CDC guidelines during the pandemic. As a result, family members outside of our household have only been able to visit with us and our 3 young children if they wear masks and observe social distance. We have a few family members who refuse to do this, and so we haven’t been able to see them in person. They are hurting because of this forced distance, but refuse to compromise at all (wear a mask, or even maintain social distance with no mask for an outdoor visit, etc). They are angry and even phone calls are difficult with the kids because they start saying things such as “kids, I’d love to hold you and play with you, but your idiot parents won’t let you see me…” We need wisdom to examine our own hearts, but also to know where to draw the lines and how to handle these family members. We don’t want broken relationships and we would of course LOVE to see them but feel the risk isn’t worth the risk when we can all be patient for the duration of this pandemic state we are in and make due with other methods of visiting and staying in touch, with some creativity.
Please pray for healing, wisdom, and long-suffering on all parts. Also, courage to lovingly confront behavior that is not healthy/helpful if God opens that door.
Thank you!