Being Seen by God

Welcome to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly I'm John Fuller and in just a few moments are just Sarah Hegarty will remind you of God's love even when you're not looking forward during those little moments of life. Stay tuned for that right now were going to get an update and some new perspectives on the coronavirus from Dr. Francis Collins rejoins us. Dr. Collins is the director of the National Institutes of Health and spoke yesterday with her host the president of Focus on the Family Jim Daly Dr. Collins, welcome back to Focus on the Family. Wonderful to be back with you.

That's been a couple months since we last spoke with you. Dr. Collins of the CDC numbers indicate we've been flattening that curve. That was the goal right to get people isolated to flatten the curve allow the healthcare industry to manage those acute cases, etc. way when you look at the landscape right now. Have we gotten an a grade of B greater C grade where are we and where you look.

People have rallied and I can't say enough about the American people and their willingness to take the public health challenge with great. And put themselves in many instances in difficult circumstances of having to stay at home, especially your kids are out of school to try to work from home and take care the same time. And of course people who lost their jobs and were terrible economic rep that people understood. This is the way to flatten that curve and Stateline is currently in a better place.

As a result of that, you look across the country. It's not all good news talking to you my home office… In Washington DC and were still having an issue here in the DP area with the curve not really having flattened as much as it should. So we still have work to do in a course were all worried about what happened. Carefully start back to work and not in the public state openly people remember where they may have people defeat distances. There we don't need a second wave and that's what everyone is like to be watching very carefully yeah and I appreciate that.

Let me ask a question about the masks. What is the advice right now you know some of us are getting tired of the settings but what would you say we need to do for healthy what should we do. I think we need even though were tired of wearing them when I am you have remembering why were doing it when you're out in public wearing a map. Not that you're protecting your well against other people might be infected your protecting them against you on the chance that you're one of those many people who actually is carrying the virus that has no symptoms and could be spreading it around those Christians who are always thinking about how to help other people how to keep those around us safe and take care of them out of the math as long as this virus is anywhere in the community might be the one carrying it. This is up to man. Okay, now you just gave me a bitter conviction. Thank you for that admonition before the Lord. Hey when we look at the the antivirals that are being developed. What's the update there.

What is Dr. Fauci seeing in and what's the report. Are we optimistic that by the first of the year. We may have something we are doing pretty amazing thing about the report to me and I talked about it every night. Sometime between 8 and 10 PM. We have our regular phone call we go over that day's results and repeat other many other places including the Oval Office on the basis the vaccine is the thing that I think people are most helpful for me as a way to really make it possible for us all to become immune, and then to be able to go back to life or let they are coming along in record time. This operation work. The president announced about two weeks ago. I don't want people to worry that work. Sounds like were being careless.

However, if you still going to be an incredibly rigorous process to pack out the fact there are now a number of them that already large testing as early as 1 July.

So how you do that while you want to be sure that each of been tried a few people to see whether they generate antibodies that look like they would be protected.

People all gone through that really find out work you want to Be independent of thousands of people in areas where the buyer is writing to see whether it actually attacked them and that's what were going to be starting this summer. I'm glad it's not one vaccine because you never know exactly what you run into something unexpected so that several of have a whole menu.

Yeah, I hope they all work terrific. Let me ask you, my wife Jean has a background in science, biology, not to rework your head, but the you know, one of the things that she's mentioned to me is with the flu. There's a vaccine every year but it's never 100%.

Those that are creating the vaccine have to estimate. Guess what flu strain is going to be there that year, and it may be 60, 70% effective is that can be similar with this right?

Jim it the court on how much the virus change in from year to year and season to season the influenza virus is very good at changing it out. I year after year so that last year's flu vaccine is clearly the one you want for this year.

This coronavirus so-called sorrow will be to doesn't seem to be as variable as a it does change a little bit over time. Like all buyers will, but not in an exceptional way. So I think at least for a while. One could imagine that a vaccine could work against this virus pretty actively. I can't tell you what might happen.

Two years later. Five years later would be the change in that virus that made the vaccine no longer protected but in the short run, it looks like what we know that the vaccine to be a pretty good strategy can't only overstate the timetable will do these large-scale studies starting in the summer we should know by the fall weather want to be back working and then hopefully be able to start immunizing people late in 2020. Starting with the high risk group and that would be healthcare providers and elderly people with chronic diseases that full-scale claimant.

A vaccine probably will happen until early 2021. If all goes well you now that's exciting and I'm sure on behalf of everybody listening. Thank you for you and your team's hard work and pulling that together you know we don't see how the secret sauce is made.

We don't really know what's going on but just to hear your enthusiasm for the work that the medical profession is doing the researchers and scientists that's encouraging to us so thank you for that update.

Pres. Trump has really pushed to reopen the economy obviously it seems like everything in the country gets politicized and it's unfortunate year at the CDC you're concentrating on medicine but it's an arm of the government. Therefore things get politicized when you look at churches reopening. This is been a real constraint and not talk to pastors, some of them have jumped out there wanting to do the distancing, but wanting get the doors open because I know some of the people that need spiritual help, need spiritual guidance, etc. there's feel a burden to get those doors open again allow people to come to church and do you believe churches can manage that right now in the environment. Are we ready to do that and again I know it's can be regional, but just give me a couple of examples where you either think it would work well or you wouldn't want another great question again.

It is important that everything get politicized and some of it being could relate to which political party. Somebody then whether they think their church out of the open or close the wrong way to look at the question is, is it safe. Are you putting people at risk, particularly those who have chronic illnesses. I would say again it is you get to get it. It does depend a bit on where you are data. The virus is in that community but I would be very cautious about not jumping into a circumstance where you have people anywhere close proximity and certainly the wearing of math audit continued to be pushed forward. We also know that being indoors is a place where an awful lot of print should happen. The word being outdoors with the big guy above you play conduit somewhat or risk. People want to have outdoor gatherings and keep everybody 6 feet apart.

Wearing map I'm even more enthusiastic about that. Yeah Patrick just need to be fully apprised of what CDC is saying about what safe and what is not. And don't jump out there and say Jesus is my vaccine is either.

I don't think God really called Honda to ignore what are science is been able to teach if I got great about how this virus will it's a great point. I don't see that there was a time many years ago were occasionally out the country.

I didn't wear my seatbelt and I would say to Jean you know it's God knows the time is good. Take me, so this is that she said yeah but he did give you a brain to put that seatbelt on this kind of that thing right. He's given us a brain to think wisely about what actions we take, yeah exactly in the Bible don't talk about that. I you looking for wisdom. Gotta give it to you but better let Wright's lesson with this question.

Being a man of faith and really at the pinnacle of the science profession again when you look at the landscape of the country and the globe. Frankly how do you see this what's happening from a faith perspective. The real trauma that's going on were starting see reports now about how should shelter in place is been emotionally and I would suggest spiritually damaging toward some people by no suicides or hotlines for depression or really up like 900%. So when you look at the impact of what we've had to do and then applying that spiritual perspective to it.

What you think.

You don't question our country is hurting and particularly coding of those been hit hard and we really should think about our applicant American brothers and sisters in that regard I wear this diseases hit them harder when you look at the number of people have died of Coke. 19.

It is disproportionately low from the community by their healthcare had not been amenable to taking care of them. They'd not been able not barely for shelter in place because of the need to be out there to try to earn a living and those folks also the one to almost shaken up by what they feeding with the horrible death toll exploited in echoes of other similar things that happened not, and those are also the folks I think economically are suffering the most. So we really should think about that in terms of how many of us are blessed we are able to stick it out here were able to get through this Christians we haven't particularly think about those you need to reach out to provide some kind of comfort and we know we serve a God knows what suffering all now we don't have to explain part but we also know you got calls on us to reach out to those who are suffering them in every way we can. And I love being with churches that are doing that getting groceries for people who are afraid to go out that far because of the clinic illness making math, coming up with hotlines running video of services to reach out to people who still need to pray all of the things you should keep doing that are calling well that is well said Dr. Collins, and I so appreciate that perspective, the spiritual, the Christian perspective on what were to do in this environment and we will continue to pray for you. Thank you for spending some time with us and congratulations on winning the Templeton prize. That's fantastic. Well, that was a big, bright and totally unexpected. And to be on a roster that includes people like Billy Graham and Mother Teresa and Desmond Tutu is beyond anything I could've imagined him to way out there and I know you personally. I know your humility. But what a great achievement and your mom and dad would be very proud of you. They would also be a little skeptical about whether any of it. I think of the project does sound like some healthy parents drop a by RI.

Dr. Collins, God bless you.

Take care, and that will be in touch again and I leave you with one bird had been on my mind this morning coming from Micah all I wanted the Lord require of you to act alone, mostly in the long somebody your God will call to do that right now again and wise words right from Scripture, thank you so much for being with us and Jim think they'll great with them for the remainder of our time here today on Focus on the Family. Our guests are Hegarty will help you find your identity and value not in what you do but who you are in Christ. He loves you. This conversation will remind you of God's great love for you.

Sarah is the author of a couple of books including unseen the gift of being hidden in a world that loves to be noticed. She and her husband have six children and here's how that conversation began Sarah welcome back to focusing me back.

This is an interesting title unseen and that is so true. We live in a culture specially with social media today where everybody's clamoring for a little glimpse a little moment on the stage. It seems like which is really dampened our manners. I think the more radical we could be the more outlandish we could be. The more we give notice and I think it's doing damage in the culture. But you know many of us, maybe even all of us have asked the question, is this all that there is no really is this it, go to work, raise it family which has a lot of blessing in it, but you should be more, and I think the opening question is this kind of the path that you went down as the seven Lord what happened for you when I think for me I line my attorney and this was before Sesame allies when it is now in some senses.

I feel like it this what's worked its way into many matters even more now when we have so much access to being seen at any moment tonight for me early in my 20s when my friends were having babies and growling their families and has been and I were struggling with infertility. I remember going to a baby shower scenario happened several times and just feeling like I might as well swing back into the corner because the stories that were being shared the sisterhood as bonds formed of any spare thing. Sorry I just couldn't relate to and I felt like my life because it wasn't what these in their women's lives where pleasant people until I remembering and joining him from when baby shower going is this all there is. I am not on the track that they are not, and I found even an invitation from Diana to find his eyes on me that I could read and try really hard to be the thing that all these women were being or to make a life that mattered or had impact on the outside or I can you not still small whisper that saddened me when I think of you right now when I read your story. You were a producer. Yes, I mean that's what I when I look at you, you would've been the person I would've loved to work with yes because you're a get it done person into college and teen ministry.

I wanted – you about that because so often that high production person is driving for acceptance or maybe the Lord will love me more fight harder for him. I've heard that always makes me sad as I don't feel that's the Lord's equation. It's like a bad employer and that's not the Lord's heart, but talk me through that and how you manage that in your you know your college years and at a college. You seem like a high performer. Well, I think I didn't actually step back and think I needs me to perform for him in order that he would like me I just kind of naturally sought Christianity as a child. Now that we just turn out and run harder and run faster and I think that's a lot how the world is and we tend to transpose what we see in the world on Christianity, especially in early years, and said for me. I felt better when I was pretty sang and I felt better when I was pacing the floor. I need Jesus after any Jesus still felt they had to share the gospel with more people and that's a good thing I don't be lazy.

That's the goal you want to be productive, but there can be a point at which it's harmful to you when you're making these things, if then. If I do all these things, then God will fill in the blank love me more shame and more blessed me more than ever, might be, but that idea in the book grab me when you mentioned you felt at one point, counseling teenagers, that you were going through the wrote kind of delivery of it yet you have it. I can relate to what you were experiencing because you have electric conversations right and you're going through.

Jesus loves you and he cares about you in the back your mind you're going. I've said this to so many people I am I just saying this or do I believe and I mean yes back in my mind I was thinking Hanan and Scott and I'm telling this teenage girl about how did you connect that in the and what did you do with probably happened a few times before I started to count.

This is dangerous. I am spreading the gospel that in my own private life behind closed doors doesn't feel real. The Bible is reading to me like a history but this is now is that the description of burnout that is edge indicator that your thinking and I think maybe even more than burnout. It can be just a description of dryness on the inside that the Bible doesn't read like a love letter that reads more like a tax history texts that are dialogue with God becomes more asking him for things then talking about the realities of our heart that we want to spend money now. I didn't have a soundman because that was 15 years ago. I have found that not like we have access to phone now. Now it would be when I'm picking up my found a scruffy social media has several times in a day when I have white space and indicator what's going on that I don't actually want to talk to God when something hard happens in my life and I find myself right away scrolling social media to meet at the indicator, some in my heart isn't really seeing him is tender towards me because if I sign his tender I want to talk to me when what you're describing is a symptom exam right phone is a symptom in the core problem is you not choosing to connect with God, and I think there's great things and we can put in place now where we say let's only use I found it these times.

But the reality is even notice measures don't address the inner issue which is often times we don't really believe that God of his words. How does a person talk to God. I mean, they may see themselves as Christian. I just want make sure were covering all bases but there are so inundated with stuff in the list and all that. Maybe they've even lost or never discovered how to really have a conversation with God. I start that's a great question.

I tend to think of that in terms this the closest relationship in my life.

The person I feel the safest with all guided thousands of times safer than that person said the person I feel the safest with and one of our best conversations.

I thought really seen and really noun and also very much myself.

God invites that that's the starting point for many. For me it's my husband. I know that's not the case for everybody's married or for people who I married you can think of your best friends that's my interest, but also thinking how we tend to see it in such broad strokes like I need to make this a major shift in my life and introduce anything that is talking to guide when really I think our life is one in the minutes. So what if there was one more minute.

Today the tactic on just one Sir in that regard. When folks have made be just joining us. They missed the top of the program we touched on some of this but beyond just facing that spiritual burnout that we talked about you faced the challenges of infertility you touched on the I think also the death your father happened on the same time.

He then adopted four of your children are adopted because of that, I would imagine that infertility and your husband start moving in a direction that is a lot right there it for someone listening saying oh yeah she's got altogether shout that it really provides the heart for you that you have gone through the hard stuff and her husband describe some of that emotion in there and taking that rawness to God's and God why I love you.

Why did I not have children. The same will my friends were having trouble, just as Einstein said when he brought that up. I mean, this is not something that's just I discipline and I've applied this tick has come from a decade of really hard life where the things that I hope for the things that I dreamed the plans and has been. I had pretty much in every way. They fell apart, and multiple times only thigh. This could not get any worse. The next day something terrible happened mainly really felt like we were in a crucible for about a decade.

It was out of that time where I kept telling everything I desire is failing. Right now everything I want for my life feels like it's sand in my hands.

I had it for a second and then it's gone.

It was in that time that I really started to feel the invitation of God to find out who he really was to the back and harden in that training him as near to the broken first see myself as broken going. My life is not working like I thought I'm not producing like I thought.

I'm not feeling the success of being a Christian and that's where else. So who are you to me and I was going ask you, and that 10 years that you're having infertility issues and your father passed away, and all these other really hard things going on in your life you learn so much in those moments would you exchange them for something easier in highlight and annotate a story. The morning that we said we actually had a heart for adoption long before he walked down the road, or even knew that we would struggle with infertility delete we really wanted to adopt post adoption. It still had been 13 years and we hadn't conceived a biological child. The morning that I found out that I was pregnant when I told my has been his very first words and this is not like a theological statement. This was just his guttural response wise is the favor of God left it for my lies.

We had found so much fruit in pain and honesty.

Both of us can say we fell in love with God when outside parts of our life when working that it felt almost like when our circumstances shift any debt they shifted when he shifted.

We went who are you in a new place because we found you and suffering you are so close to me and I at times felt like you are so close that I could feel your breath on my knack guide that near to me when I feel like my world is falling apart.

Yes, I would look back and go. Thank you God for that I would not change what we had and there's one of the nuggets of the program. If you're in that spot again were here for you. I want to hit some practical points right at the end of the program here, you invite people to grow and wonder and friendship to God. I love that description. What does it look like that a practical level. How do you grow and wonder with God. For me this look like slowing down a little fat and not slowing down in large chunks. I still think of life and minute so if I email part of my run in the morning I listened to podcast. Usually, what if I just turn off my phone for 10 minutes to kill me have enough discipline to run. It's over now it's the price on everything I get extra I practical as a practical, think about your lot to the mailbox to the mailbox and can be listening to something in my found wire running over attachments in my mind or I can count on this walk to the mailbox. I just want to see me yeah just like a cancer.

I have wanted to practice that guide that is not inviting us to approach him like a little child it's turning off the music in the car lining going lights in the sky for me today like when you hear the heavens declare the glory of God. When you have for me, sir, here's the question as we close, speak to that person who wants to have the kind of friendship and closeness with God that you've described, but they pray and they don't feel like they hear anything they don't feel that closeness their back at the beginning of your journey where you were feeling almost like those feelings of being fake. So what do you say that person right now.

When they do, ending at say two things one and give yourself permission to get a little more honest with God's Academy in great Academy company.

He actually welcomes that kind of dialogue, maybe even as your starting point. You need to be Put out Christian.

He's honest to make ourselves feel like he's really enjoying us. Second thing I would say is the Psalms are a great place to start. I only say the psalms are like lanes for our emotions and so when I have been really stack not knowing what he thinks about me when I feel about him.

I feel like the psalmist had given me language when I write I like that because if you think of the Lord's heart for David. Psalms that's a great place to go to David's heart friend David Riley, one of the most powerful Psalms is written after like horrendous that take your big messy heart that's and that's what he wants to see Sarah Hegarty is been a guest on Focus on the Family and you can get a copy of her book on scene and additional resources at our website or call 800 K and the word family. And when you get in touch please donate generously to support the work of Focus on the Family.

When you do that today. Make a gift of any amount will thank you for being a part of the support team by sending a copy of Sarah's great book to you and Joe let me also mention we realize many families are struggling everywhere, something like 40 million people on unemployment right now.

So we get that same time. Ministry continues her focus and we want to be part of it that's that's the reality. And if you're in a position if you're working in, and you can support the ministry we need to hear from you now gift of $25, $50 something to help us continue to meet the needs of others and always take care of your church first and then if you can help assert Focus on the Family. I know God will honor that in so many ways. One way is we have a matching gift right now from some generous friends who will meet you dollar for dollar to support the ministry and it's a great way of challenging way to get those dollars in here so that we can the needs of others and again call us our numbers 800 K in the word family or check the ups of notes from on behalf of Jim Daly and the entire team. Thanks for joining us today for Focus on the Family I'm John Fuller inviting you back.

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