This post is also available on The Good Book Blog in Spanish.

These are uncertain times. The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has been transforming the lives of millions of people in an unimaginable way for most of us just a few weeks or even days ago. The changes have been taking place so quickly that most of the world's population have been caught off guard. We are all trying to adapt to this new reality in the hope that the pandemic will end soon, although it is impossible to predict how long it will last and what consequences it will have for all. In these days of crisis and home confinement I have been meditating on different principles based on my perspective as a follower of Jesus Christ that I would like to share with you:

1. Life is short and human beings are fragile.

Crises remind us that we are all fragile and susceptible to getting sick and even dying suddenly. In general, human beings make plans for the future thinking that we are in control of our lives, but a small virus, a microorganism that we cannot even see, is enough to completely alter our routines and destroy our plans. The poet king of the Nahua world, Nezahualcoyotl who lived from 1402-1472 and was the Tlatoani of Texcoco, masterfully described this reality in this poem:

I, Nezahualcoyotl, ask this:
Is it true one really lives on the earth?
Not forever on earth,
Only a little while here.
Though it be jade it falls apart,
though it be gold it wears away,
though they be quetzal feathers they are torn into parts,
not forever on earth,
only a little while here.

2. We are all the same.

Diseases and crises do not make a difference between people and affect everyone equally. Human beings try to distinguish economic, social or cultural differences, but COVID-19 reminds us that we all can get sick and that we are all interconnected and need each other. No matter what country we live in, how old we are or what we do, we are all important and necessary in this world. The spread of the virus can only be stopped with the fraternal collaboration of all.

3. Every life is important.

All human beings are created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:27). The image of God is the fundamental basis for the value and dignity of absolutely all people. The Bible teaches that God is the giver of life, so from conception to the grave we must protect and value everyone's life. Human life is priceless and no matter the economic consequences that a catastrophe like the one we face brings, we must fi