Hi, for those who don’t know me I’m Genevieve Wilson and I am a follower of Christ. I’m going to share with you something very personal, something that I don’t believe people ever need to know, however for the purpose of this article I hope it challenges you…
I am unvaccinated.
Well, that is only a half truth. I am fully up to date on all my adult and childhood vaccines, and I even have some extra vaccines as I have travelled the world for missions. But due to my Covid status, I have been deemed an Anti-Vaxxer.
That is right, I am not vaccinated. I’m part of the 10% of Canadian adults who have chosen not to get vaccinated.
Year of challenges
Because of my vaccine-less choice, my life has had some extra challenges this past year. I have not been able to go to eat in a restaurant, attend sports games or concerts, I can’t even take my kids to the pool, nor can I leave the country and therefore have not seen some family in over 5 years.
It was my choice and I made it. Just as I make many other decisions every day for what I believe is best for my family. My husband and I thought that this was the best decision for our family, and understand and fully support other families to do what is best for theirs.
But with this choice that I have made, one of the biggest surprises came when my Prime Minister (Justin Trudeau) who has never met me, labelled me a racist, misogynist and someone who doesn’t believe science. He even went as far as asking, should we “tolerate them?” (Click here)
Such statements are effectively stereotyping me and as a result he is limiting my opinion and categorically rejecting me as a unique person with my own personal convictions and worldview. Sadly, such comments, from a person of great influence, could cause people to see me as the enemy, when I really am not.
My PM has called me a racist
I despise the word ‘racism’ and the action intended by it. The word implies that there are different races on earth, but truthfully all humans are one race—the human race – we just have darker or lighter pigmentation of our skin.
To treat anyone differently because of the color of their skin is sin. I have friends and family that represent all the different spectrum of pigmentation of skin, from dozens of nations. But more than that, the pigment of our skin is chosen by God for His glory. He made the nations, and the beautiful colors.
I love the people of the world, so much in fact I have made sacrifices so that I could be part of mission teams around the world. My love for people drives me to tell them about Christ and how He saved me, a wretched sinner, and He can do the same for anyone. My choice to not get vaccinated has nothing to do with other people’s skin color but is rather a personal conscious based decision.
Misogynist
Well, I’m a woman, so I’m not sure how I can be labelled a “woman hater,” but some how I was. The Bible teaches that men and women were both created by God (Genesis chapter 1 verse 27). Yes, we are designed for different purposes, but equal in value in God’s eyes. My reasons to not get vaccinated had nothing to do with women’s rights, however, I am a woman made in God’s image and as a temple of the Holy Spirit, I submit what goes into my body to Christ (not the government).
I don’t believe in the science
About six months into Covid, I found out about a children’s Covid study, and I volunteered one of my children to be part of this study. Every 2 weeks, I fill out a survey about our life, then every 6 months I take my child to give their blood for this study.
I support science and we quarantined when we got the Delta variant. I cancelled outings when I was sick this past year, just like when I got sick any year before, because I believe the science that tells me, “That bugs are contagious, be loving to your neighbour by staying home when you don’t feel well.”
I have had Covid and based off the “science” I have some immunity. So, actually I’m guilty of basing some of my decision on science!
Lesson we can learn through these accusations
The place to start is in 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, verses 4 through 7… Love is patient; kind; does not envy or boast; is not arrogantor rude; does not insist on its own way; is not irritable or resentful; does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
This needs to be the standard of how we live and how we challenge others to live. For instance, I am not to retaliate with hate towards my PM. I am to pray for him, be kind, speak not ill, but call him to repentance.
Christ’s love commands us to treat others how we want to be treated, to be kind to them and think the best, even if we don’t always agree. People have value because they are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. We can’t just write people off because they have different views than us.
In James, chapter 2, verse 1, we are commanded to “show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” In this passage, they are talking about how we are not to treat the rich person one way and the poor person another. However, I would say that we could extend this outside the walls of the church.
We aren’t to treat people differently because they have a different vaccine status than us. We shouldn’t pass judgment on someone based off their vaccine choice or any conscious-related decision they make just because it is different than ours. This of course does not apply to sin issues, but in grey areas, like buying a car or a house, having lots of children, or getting vaccinated.
We are going to disagree with people, but name calling is not the solution. Name labelling dehumanizes the person you are referring to. It makes them seem less than human and that it is okay to make fun of or even discredit them. If we disagree with a person, ask questions, find out why they believe a certain thing or don’t.
Regardless of peoples’ ethnicity, gender, vaccine status, we are called to a higher standard of love and the greatest love of all is God’s love, demonstrated through the death of Jesus Christ, who offers forgiveness for vaccinated and unvaccinated, for my Prime Minister, my family and friends, for all who would believe in Him!