Tennessee the Volunteer State is known for, you guessed it, volunteering! During the Mexican-American war in the early 19th century, President Polk called for 2600 volunteers. 30,000 Tennessee Volunteers showed up! Over ten times what was requested! Even as guidelines become stiffer, our Governor Lee is still counting on Tennesseans volunteering to “Do Your Part. Stay Apart.” without the mandatory restrictions used in other places.
As I drove back from the hospital at 0500 this morning after delivering my nurse daughter yet again for her shift at the hospital, I thought about how we often do just the minimum, or comply my performing no more than the required duties. What if we lived up to our name as Tennesseans? The wonder women of Memorial’s 7North continue to accept shifts screening staff for illness, standing in and out of the door to keep our hospital safe. My wife and I have signed up for various volunteer opportunities in our church and community. I drive my daughter to work regularly to reduce her stress and lend my support (safely) to her.
What if we didn’t wait for more restrictions, but embraced the guidelines already laid down and took them one step further? What if we all actively searched for ways to help neighbors in our communities?
The biblical Israelites were instructed to build a temple for worship. They were asked to bring precious metals and stones as well as other valuables to be used in its construction. They brought so many gifts that finally the architect asked for them to stop giving!
“The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done.” -Exodus 36:5
What would our state look and feel like if the Governor said, “Folks! stop returning masks to hospitals. They have more than enough!” What if he said, “Churches can re-open now because we have not only flattened the curve, but stomped it!” What if he said, “Please go ahead and buy toilet paper. Stores are getting overstocked!”
What if daily news was filled, not with complaints of this or that group of people being allegedly under-served, but instead carried stories of volunteers stepping forward to fill gaps in services as they became visible?
What can you do? If you are elderly or in poor health, stay at home, call neighbors to stay in touch, and pray for those around you. If you are a retired or unemployed healthcare worker, volunteer on Tennessee’s Unified Command page. Get creative! Drop off food for neighbors. Help the tech-challenged to place orders online for pickup or delivery. Think of someone in your neighborhood that might fall through the cracks. If you haven’t already, join us in finding ways to volunteer starting today! And yes, you can do that even if you aren’t blessed to be a Tennessee Volunteer!