Justin’s Jab

On Friday Jenny and I rolled down our car windows and stuck our arms out for the first of our vaccinations. (The dinosaur masks were particularly on trend I think). It felt good to be doing our part for the team of 5 million.

As a church leader I encourage us all to get vaccinated if we are eligible to do so. As people of Jesus who care for the vulnerable, getting vaccinated is part of this. We know that we are part of the bigger picture. When Jesus said, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbour as yourself,” I do believe that one of the best things we can do right now to love our neighbours is to get vaccinated.

At the moment our worlds are reduced and we live with so few options. But one of the options is vaccination – so let’s take it. We can’t go and get KFC, or hang out with our mates, or play Saturday sports, or go to the movies… but we can get vaccinated. It’s one of the few responses we do have and despite some difficulties in accessing the system it is relatively easy to do. We know that the more people who get vaccines, the more resilient our population will be.

As I received my vaccination I was also mindful that I have relatively good health. If I got Covid, statistically speaking I’d probably do OK. But for the most vulnerable we all need to remember – how will Covid impact them? And so, we ourselves vaccinate so that we have less chance of passing on the virus to those who have pre-existing conditions.

As each of us get our vaccinations, let’s also be mindful of those around our globe who don’t have access to the relatively good health care system that we are grateful for. So now that I’ve had my jab, I’m also contributing again to the Get One, Give One campaign; working to combat vaccine inequality for vulnerable communities around our globe. The perfect time to do this is in the 15 minutes wait time after your vaccine. Good to do something to take your mind off the fact that you are wearing a dinosaur mask.