Pandemic Pressure

By Racquel Robertson, Sarasota Florida, USA

My name is Racquel Robertson and I am fifty-two years young and single. I have been a Christian for over twenty-five years and a member of the SRQ House Church in beautiful Sarasota, Florida for the last five years. I have worked in a skilled nursing home as a Certified Nursing Assistant for the last six years. Working in a skilled nursing home can be very taxing on your body physically. But compounded with the shortage of staff and longer hours, the COVID pandemic pushed us into an extremely high-pressured work environment.

Personal Discomfort

First, working in full PPE (personal protective equipment), gown, gloves, goggles, masks, and shoe covering is downright very uncomfortable! I was extremely hot and sweaty. Sweat rolled down my face while doing patient care for sixteen hours. There were times when I was so drenched with sweat that I had to stop patient care and undress out of my PPE because the sweat was burning my eyes. I had to wash my face and then get dressed in all my gear again to continue the patient care. When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He sweated drops of blood (Luke 22:44). I thought of His example in order to persevere with my tasks at hand.

Anxious Thoughts

Secondly, I felt tempted to be fearful. I wondered, “am I protected enough?” “Will I get sick and die from the constant exposure?” This was very nerve-racking for me and my coworkers. My theme scripture became Matthew 6:25-34:

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (ESV)
I remember sharing this scripture with a couple of my coworkers and praying with them. I tried to help calm their anxious hearts, but meanwhile I still felt very anxious and fearful. The emotional pressure was high.

Personal Loss

Another example was losing a coworker. A nurse who was only five years older than me died from COVID. It was such a sad day; all of us were in tears the whole day. We knew she was sick and in ICU. But we also knew four other coworkers who had gotten better after being sick and hospitalized. Hearing she died that day was such a blow to our morale. One of our own who just two months earlier worked side by side with us. Suddenly she was gone. The emotional pressure was almost breaking us all!

Spiritual Isolation

Last, the long-term isolation from the church felt so brutal. In the past, I've always described myself as being an introvert. I was very comfortable with being by myself, even frequently preferring to be by myself. The problem was because we were not meeting regularly, I found myself becoming lonely and depressed. I started missing the fellowship terribly. It started to affect me spiritually and emotionally. I can see how God made us relational. We need each other, and we need to continue to be a part of the body. I will not take “gathering together” for granted, ever again (Hebrews 10:24-25)!

Serving The Lord

I am so thankful we have a Father who is kind, gentle, and patient and who hears our prayers. There have been times of such peace and clarity these past two and half years, that I can only credit it to my time with God, and leaving my worries on His shoulders. I know a lot of people dislike the term “new normal” but the reality is that this IS our new normal, at least right now. Who knows what will happen a year from now?

I still have to wear a mask and social distance because of my vocation. I am growing in putting my trust in God and working to believe that He is ultimately in control, not the government or CDC, but God. I am so comforted to know that He has me in His steadfast care, no matter what kind of crisis comes up. Please continue to pray for all of us in the healthcare field. We are trying to be Jesus’ hands and feet in our communities in the midst of this pandemic pressure!