Being compassionate, considerate, courageous and confident

They say that hard times bring out the best in people. For many, these past few weeks have been unusual and unsettling, our lives are very disrupted and most of us will know of somebody who has been seriously affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

Amongst this, I see our city rising to the challenge of adversity and growing better as people. I see Sheffield being compassionate, being considerate, being courageous and able to be confident.

We’ve long been a compassionate city. Our civil systems focus upon helping the disadvantaged and we were proudly the nation’s first City of Refuge. Compassion is a deeper emotion than sympathy, it stirs us to take action. The way so many normal Sheffield folk are practically helping those in need is a really heartening sign.

Our city is being considerate. We are trying our best to abide by our Government’s rules on social distancing. Living close to our neighbours means choosing to be kind with our noise levels and behaviour, while inside our houses we have to made daily decisions to consider those we share space with.

I see many in our city being courageous. We applaud those who keep serving. Yes, the frontline medical staff make the headlines, yet it is those in the service industry jobs who are also being real heroes. Couriers, store assistants, postal staff, cleaners, IT maintenance. Those who keep going for us all, at risk of infection to themselves, without being paid a lot.

Finally, we may be a confident city, because we are a resilient city. We will get through this together.

As a Christian, I encourage you to take confidence and courage from the words of the Bible. In a time like this, God says to you and me,

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Let us take the opportunity to walk this testing time with good character; being considerate, compassionate, and at times courageous with ourselves and others.

Image source: Tim Marshall on Unsplash