Harriet and I were talking about the Covid-19 vaccines and discussing whether or not we would take them. We had read much of the hype about them and were undecided. An ad popped up on the TV screen that grabbed my attention. It promoted shopping locally. Somehow that made sense even in our vaccine debate.
Yes, we all know the decline in mom and pop retail locations in our vast global economy. Day by day local entrepreneurs close shop because they cannot compete with the big box companies. You ask, how in the world could a TV spot about retail marketing influence our vaccine decision? Simple. It reminded me that I didn't have to rely on the advice of Dr. Anthony Fauci (President Biden's chief medical advisor) or Dr. Vivek H. Murthy (Surgeon General of the United States) to evaluate the Covid-19 vaccine decision. No, I don't know them or much about them. Nor do I know the medical personnel at the Center for Disease Control, CNN, or the Cartoon Channel. Why should I let these unknowns counsel me about such personal matters?
After that commercial, I called my family doctor, made an appointment to see him, and asked his advice. You see, I do know him. He's monitored my Type 2 Diabetes for 18 years, coached me through extensive cancer surgery, chemotherapy, and all the other medical situations people my age experience. Now, he's not my only doctor. There's a urologist, oncologist, dermatologist, optometrist, ophthalmologist, audiologist, a wife, and the Great Physician upstairs. I chose my family doctor because I know him best. I've trusted his diagnostic abilities and treatment plans for a long time. So, I asked him whether or not we should take the Covid vaccines. He said there was much about the Corona virus and the vaccines we didn't know. Then he added that he didn't know any reason we should not receive the vaccine. We shopped locally.
The Apostle Paul strongly defended his ministry in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. They had compared him to false apostles who taught faulty doctrine. He wrote, "Look at what is before your eyes" (2 Corinthians 10: 7, ESV). Under Divine guidance he advised them to pay attention to what is right before them. Now, that doesn't have anything to do with Covid-19 or our treatment of it. But, it does remind us to be alert to what is right in front of us. And, our answers about this Covid mystery might be closer than we think.
Ask your most trusted doctor. Shop locally.