Page 50 - COVID-19 and the Church_eBOOK_Color_07.16.2020_Neat

A lot of hell-fire and brimstone preachers declared
that this was God killing off false prophets, and fake
preachers and teachers. It was as though (so they taught)
this was God’s way of purging the pulpit and cleansing
His church.
That may be true, but that isn’t what has bothered
me in all of this pandemic chaos. The thing that has
troubled me the most has been the collateral damage.

Who… Or What Is Collateral Damage?—
Now, I really want to answer the question concerning
the church as collateral damage, after I explain collateral
damage. Let’s first look at what the Merriam Webster
dictionary says this term means:
“Any injury inflicted on something other than an
intended target specifically: civilian casualties of a
military operation.”

Simply put, according to Merriam Webster’s
dictionary, collateral damage is defined as damage to
things that are incidental to the intended target.

Collateral Damage Is Actually Very Common—
Collateral damage is more common than you might
think. It isn’t only about civilian casualties of war. It can
also take place within our family when we’ve been hurt
by something or someone else, no matter how long ago.

You may have struggled with feeling as though
you were collateral damage at some point in your own
life. Someone else may have accomplished their own
goals, but at the expense of your self-esteem, self-worth
emotional stability, peace of mind and personal dignity.
Because if you’ve been hurt, you cause hurt to someone
else. Or you find yourself withdrawing from a loved one.