Quarantine Coronavirus Christian Ten Things-To-Do List

Quarantine to Do List

With schools closed, youth group canceled, and basic life being interrupted by quarantine and viruses, I decided to put together a top ten list of things to do during this time. In no particular order, here are some things that I came up with when it comes to living the Christian life in such a crisis. (If you haven’t already, I highly recommend checking out the letter from Martin Luther pertaining to a plague during his time)

1.) First of all, in quarantine and all things, pray.

Okay, I know I said in no particular order, but I suppose here is the exception. We are encouraged to pray at all times. Not just when we are placed in a quarantine like state but even when things are going well. Too often we forget to thank God when things are going well. Sometimes it takes a strong reminder like a virus to draw us back to him. Above all, take this time to pray a little more. Pray for your friends and family. Pray for society. And pray for the leaders in our communities and government as we navigate this trying time.

2.) Love the Lord your God.

This is the first and greatest commandment. Everything happens for a reason. The world is still in God’s hands. It’s times like this that people start to question God. Why would he allow this to happen? Sure, if he wanted to he could make this whole thing disappear tomorrow. For all we know, he might. However, we were promised that bad things are going to happen on this earth. All things work together for God’s will. I have heard some people say that their churches were more full than they have been in months. This is because God has a way of making even bad things work for his good. Remember, hold to your faith and find ways to love God. In other words, make time to worship God during times of difficulty.

3.) Love your neighbor as yourself.

This is the second greatest commandment. It covers just about the entire Old Testament law (Jesus’ words, not mine!). Yes, we are being told to practice social distancing. Yes, words like quarantine are going around. However, this does not excuse us from loving our neighbors. Who is our neighbor? Every breathing person on this planet. This means sharing our resources. Not hoarding them. And definitely not trying to make a profit on them. It means going out of our way to help someone.

Maybe it’s an elderly neighbor who needs to get branches and leaves cleaned up. Maybe it’s our parents who are stressed out at work. It could even be a sibling who is struggling with online learning now that on-site classes have been canceled. We need to show love to everyone. We need to world to see Christians in a light that reflects the goodness of Christ. Be that light!

4.) Relax.

Is this coronavirus bad? Yes. At the very least it is definitely not good. There are a lot of things that are not good, this just happens to be a really big one right now. The Bible says that worrying will get us nowhere. It won’t add a single minute to our lives. Again, God is in control. If he takes care of the birds, he will take care of us. Do not panic. Take a deep breath, meditate on the promises of God and trust that he will see us through this.

5.) Do not panic.

Yes, this is a lot like number four. However, I also see it as a bit different. Panicking results in buying obnoxious amounts of toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Panicking is sharing doom and gloom news stories. People will judge Christians on how they react to this crisis. They will be searching for answers. While we may not have all of them, a great testimony to the world will be to remain calm and continue to love.

Coronavirus? Quarantine? It’s never a good time to panic.

6.) Go outside and enjoy the weather.

Sure, quarantine means you are supposed to limit interactions with people. However, as the weather is taking a turn for the better, there is a lot of therapeutic benefit to being outside. This means go for a walk or a hike. Take your dog with you it will make them happy too. Take in the glorious nature of God. The trees, sun, sky, grass are all unaffected by the virus so enjoy them! Do some outdoor spring cleaning!

7.) Avoid giving in to racism and blame.

When things go wrong it is easy to try and blame someone. There are stories of this getting out of hand. Do not allow the media, friends, teachers, the Internet, or whatever to affect your opinion of another culture. Were mistakes made? Maybe. Will people be more careful int he future? Probably and hopefully. However, it doesn’t do anyone any good to allow hate and blame to fill our lives. Boycotting Chinese food and Italian food is only going to hurt more people in our communities. Do not tell jokes at the expense of a race, culture, or person who might be different than you.

8.) Socialize with people (yes, even in quarantine).

But wait, aren’t we supposed to limit interaction with people? Sure. We are supposed to limit physical interaction. But you know what? We can call people. There are ways to show love to people that don’t involve giving them a handshake. Spend time with your family. Play a board game or do a project together. Reach out to people who live alone and just talk with them over the phone or video call. They are probably feeling lonely and would love to hear a warm voice.

In this same vein, use social media to promote good things. Share joy and love! In the midst of all the chaos, be a shining light to your followers and people in your circle. Do a random act of kindness. Find a need that you can meet and do it! Offering hope, and being the hands and feet of Jesus in the world is the best thing we can do.

9.) Avoid sensationalism/obsession.

While under quarantine, we may find ourselves becoming obsessed with the news. I myself have spent way too long reading the stories. Be aware, that bad news sells. It gets “clicks” and “clicks” equals money. Good news doesn’t sell as well. Be wary of what you read and what you hear. I’d say fact check, but it’s hard to do that right now. Avoid anything with an obvious agenda. Better yet, avoid anything that doesn’t pertain directly to you. The virus will continue to spread, people will continue to die, Panickers will continue to empty shelves. However, God is still good. He is still loving. We can literally drive ourselves sick by giving in to the media and hype. Again, we can gain nothing by worrying. Therefore, our time can be better spent than reading everything that comes out about this.

10.) Finally, wash your hands. Quarantine if told to do so. God isn’t anti-science and medicine.

Do not allow yourself to tempt God and be arrogant. This is why churches and youth groups are canceling. Do we believe that God is powerful? Yes. Do we believe God can heal? Yes. Do we believe that God can prevent us from getting the virus? Yes. However, we also believe that God has given us intelligent minds to avoid doing stupid things. “In this world, you will have trouble.” Jesus says this. Not Paul, not Peter, not some Old Testament prophet. Jesus himself (John 16:33).

This means that we should listen to officials. We should wash our hands. We should take vitamins. If the government tells us to avoid large gatherings, we should listen. If they close schools we should listen. Your 15 minutes of google research is not better than the medical experts in the world. Do not be foolish. Unless God is calling you to do something extraordinary, be smart. Love people, but be smart about it.


Anything else you can think of that we should be doing during this time? Leave it in the comments below.

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