In the early days of this virus, news reels featured shopping carts filled to overflowing, stockpiling toilet paper and cleaning supplies of any kind. They showed the hoarding of masks by those not on the front lines. Even in the highest level of government, leaders attempted to grab all they could for themselves while leaving the rest of the world in want. Deep in our souls we know all is not right.

Scenes play in our mind, seemingly extracted from an apocalyptic horror flick. Naked shelves, stripped of all their bounty, taunt us as we walk the aisles of grocery stores. “Wash your hands” we are told, yet there is no soap or hand sanitizer left with which to do so.

The uncertainty and fear which has gripped the world since the onset of coronavirus has stirred up, or rather unearthed the deadly sin of greed. (For those who study the Enneagram, this vice is linked to Fives) In an attempt to assuage the anxiety we are experiencing, we grab and gather, endeavoring to procure for ourselves a guarantee for the future. We are building cisterns to hold the water we will need in the future rather than depending on our Good Shepherd to supply it. As Jeremiah the prophet observes, we have forsaken our spring of fresh water in exchange for leaky tanks of old water. (Jer. 2:13). We have begun to live with a scarcity mindset, believing there will never be enough, so we must fight and struggle to provide for ourselves.

A feeling of panic rose up within me the first time I stood in front of the mostly empty shelves at the grocery store. Never before had I been faced with the possibility that we might not have enough food. This is a daily reality for millions throughout the world, but for me it was a unique experience. My first reaction was to grab anything I could get my hands on, and as much as I could get. This reflex of wanting to hoard for myself is a common reaction. If we are depending on our own efforts for our security in these times, greed and hoarding will be our response.

This vice has been alive and well since the beginning of time. The fact there is a television show dedicated to the problem of hoarding, and that in the United States there is a 2.2 billion square foot personal storage industry, are signs of its presence. What we have seen in recent days is just a ramping up of this trait.

These words penned by George McDonald take us back to the days where God provided for his people as they wandered in the wilderness,

“In holy things may be unholy greed,

Thou giv’st a glimpse of many a lovely thing

Not to be stored for use in any mind,

but only for the present spiritual need.

The holiest bread, if hoarded, soon will bread,

The mammon-moth, the having pride…”

All was well for the Israelites when they trusted God daily for their needs, but when they tried to gather more than was necessary for the day, it became rotten and full of maggots.

Our fears during this worldwide pandemic are very real and can move us to act responsibly, but how do we prevent fear from overstepping and driving us toward greed?

Since the early day of the Christian faith, believers have relied on a list which they used for self-examination, confession, and spiritual formation; this was the Seven Deadly Sins and their corresponding Lively Virtues. According to this list the antidote for greed is generosity.

Generosity flows from a heart bent toward gratitude, from someone confident in the daily provision of manna from God’s hand. It comes from the assurance that we are worth more than the sparrow or the grasses of the field for which God so generously provides. Gratitude recognizes all as a gift which we have been graced with. Rather than grasping for ourselves, gratitude encourages an open-handedness with all we have. We then move into a mindset of abundance and are willing to offer our resources knowing that there will always be more. Maybe, at this moment in time, it will mean the giving of our time on our knees praying for the lonely, the sick, the exhausted, and forgotten.

As well as the giving of material wealth and resources, there is also the generosity of heart which reaches toward others. It may seem at this time of lost jobs and a flailing economy that we dare not give any of our financial resources away, yet God still calls us to give sacrificially. We can pay attention to the people at hand who need a kind word, help with groceries, or just a reminder that they are not alone. Generosity of spirit will offer time to talk with that lonely friend, or stand outside on the porch banging pots to honor our healthcare workers, it will welcome the stories people are aching to tell. This pandemic is exposing the larger societal problem of poverty. Almost all of us have the resources to feed one more mouth for a week or a month at a time. This could be the way we practise generosity in such a time as this. A charitable heart will also make space for the differing opinions and feelings of others, recognizing and honoring our differences. It is even generous toward self, not seeking to deny or diminish our reactions to unexpected events.

It may seem as though our efforts are but a tiny drop in the vastness of the oceans, but maybe it will be as in the story of the boy with loaves and fish. The small will be multiplied and grown into something much greater than we could ever have imagined.