Meeting Mr. Penguin on his first day at work

Relocating from the freezing continent of Antarctica, Mr. Penguin is now chilling out in a mall and putting his feet-shuffling to good use in our fight against Covid-19.

Who do I want to be during Covid-19?

Image credits: University of Colorado Boulder 

Learning About Cleanliness The Hard Way

From young we have been told to wash our hands before our meals and keep the germs away. 

Now, we wash our hands more times than ever before and sanitise whatever handles (door, toilet flush) and surfaces (tabletop, lift buttons, handphones) that we need to lay our fingers or hands on. No need to sanitise each other though, as we observe social distancing (be a good example, ya).

When I read the Holy Bible concerning unclean animals, it was with passing understanding. My gloss-over understanding was that these animals have bad hygiene and are dirty. 

Now, I know better that God has been warning us a long time ago, before the scientist has seen the light of day, that these animals host viruses!

Jestingly, Batman is in the hiding because bats are, seriously, listed as unclean. The book of Leviticus (chapter 11, verses 13 - 18; NIV version) from the Old Testament of the Holy Bible records for us that: 

“‘These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, any kind of black kite, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat." 

The indifference of Covid-19 is depicted in the following poem:-

"For all of us who don’t know

We can read what we want to read

Believe what we want to believe

Hope what we want to hope

Say what we want to say

Eloquently, beautifully, compellingly, persuasively

Presidents, prime ministers, dictators

We can blog, tweet, post, proclaim

Reach thousands, millions

We can want what we want

Do what we want

COVID-19 is not impressed." -- Ken Dryden

What hope do we have then? 

It's back to the Holy Bible for us all. God has the power (ability to do things) for what is beyond us and God looks at our heart to see if we are taking His Word seriously.

Photo by David Beale on Unsplash

"One thing God has spoken,

    two things I have heard:

“Power belongs to you, God,

and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;

and, “You reward everyone

    according to what they have done.” -- Psalm 62:11-12 (NIV)

"“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place." --2 Chronicles 7:13-15 (NIV)

We have (in our human power) poured out care packages and clapped our hands to thank and honour our frontline medical staff fighting the scourge of this pandemic.

On that first Good Friday some two thousand years ago in history, Jesus of Nazareth was scourged with a whip and crucified on a cross at Calvary for the sins of the whole world in fulfilment of biblical prophecy.

The Word of God affirms this concerning Jesus' death:-

"But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed." -- Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV)

Join me, if you will, and declare that by the stripes that Jesus bore on His body with blood for the remission of sins, we are healed by faith and through faith in the name of JESUS. Amen.

God is speaking to us through this difficult time just as He has been doing so through the ages; He is ready to hear our prayers. 

It's time to pray and turn the tide as we begin to realise that many of our so-called important things in life will come to a standstill to alert us that it is in our best interest to look up to our God and Creator of all things, and take His Word seriously.

How To Look Good In A Mask

If you are bespectacled, you would remember how it felt when you put on a pair of spectacles for the first time, not because you want to but because you have to. You felt self-conscious of what others might think and you would have used the mirror for the umpteenth time to check out your new look.

With Covid-19 still on a swing, you would inevitably find yourself having to don a surgical mask and the like to protect yourself from infection and, at the same time, prevent infecting others while observing new norms such as social distancing (density reduction) and staying at home, except when attending to essential needs like grocery and medical.

Hence, the mask is now a staple apparel that you wear and this is my take on how you can appear more soothing in your appearance amidst the crowd with jarring blue surgical mask. 

The first tip is to find a mask (or make your own medical-grade mask) that matches the colour of your hair or headgear; the closer the match the better. Blue with blue and silver with silver.

Alternatively, match your topwear (blouse, dress, shirt or t-shirt) with the colour of your mask, or vice-versa.

If you don't believe me, just observe others with such sublime colour coordination and you will notice that their masks blend in nicely instead of being a standout.

Photo by Samuele Giglio on Unsplash

Looking good in a colour-coordinated mask will dampen the alarming face of standard-colour surgical masks and smoothen its edges. 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' still holds true in this pensive period.

Do your part, stay at home. If you have to go out, wear a mask and look good in it, if you can help it.

Thank you for reading and sharing Daily Refreshing. Stay safe and healthy.