I was telling Ed, my old neighbour in Saskatchewan, that I heard the phone ringing in the night, but I did not realize it was 4:30 a.m. The ringing phone woke me, but I thought that it must be 7:10 a.m. when robocalls often begin. The answering machine was good enough for those jokers. Unfortunately, my wife got up to at 4:30 a.m. to answer the phone, fearful it was an important or urgent call. It was a scammer saying the call was from Visa. She knew it was a lie, for we no longer have a Visa card.
I asked Ed if he and Ruby get a lot of nuisance calls in Melville.Ìý He said that he could not say because he only answers the phone if Ruby is not home, and mostly he keeps his cell phone shut off. I warned Ed that scammers keep finding more and more advanced ways to get our personal information. Caller Id can't be trusted as it may not be Visa or the Canada Revenue Agency calling you.Ìý Scammers can be behind text messages and emails as well.
Scammers are in the business to deceive, cheat, swindle and defraud as many innocent people as possible. They do not understand nor care about social distancing for they call, text, email or show up in person as wolves in sheep’s clothing to attack and harm others. They do not care what happens to their victims.
No one wants to be the victim of scam phone calls, texts, emails and schemes. They are part of all the darkness of sin that bleeds through the joy and hope of life. As Christians, we are to think on, “Whatever is true, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.
It is so easy, instead, for us to dwell on the earthly things like the spread of COVID-19 cases, the plummeting stock markets, our country in endless layoffs and shutdowns, and the whole world in meltdown mode. It could end badly for anyone. If a person gets COVID-19, they could die. No one wants to die, but our mortality rate is 100 per cent.
Ed challenged me to tell him something that had nothing to do with COVID-19. I told him my rhubarb is up and the sun is shining. Despite rain, clouds and darkness, the sun keeps shining.Ìý Sick or not, spring growth is sprouting.
The COVID-19 pandemic is like being in a time of war. In our uncertainty, we look to the example of Jesus, who committed no sin or deceit and entrusted himself to God His Father on heaven. He willingly did what was excellent and praiseworthy for all sinners. He bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds, we have been healed. For we were like sheep going astray, but now we have the opportunity to return gladly to Jesus as the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, we find the truth and excellence of God and stand in trust, not fear. He is our peace in this world of meltdowns, for He tells us that our citizenship is in heaven.ÌýÌý
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