I was incredibly fortunate to have received my second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine this week. Thanks to my awesomely proactive wife, I was able to sign up as soon as Group C became available here in North Carolina. Now, nearly a month after my first dose, I am seeing that the number of folks going in for vaccination is fewer and fewer.
This is concerning, but I am far from an immunologist or a medical professional. I'm not here to tell you why you should get vaccinated medically. I don't even like the term moral authority for my position. I fail at morality daily. So, instead, I thought it might be appropriate to share with you what helped me to decide that I wanted a vaccine.
I'm not the best theologian. I do my best to read all that I can and absorb all the knowledge that I can, but I'm young and still have much to learn. However, I would have made the same decision regarding the vaccine whether I was 2, 22, or 72 years old. I made my decision to vaccinate for the same reason I wore a mask. Sure, the science seems to point to efficacy in prevention with both of these measures and that's a good reason for the inconvenience. But my reason is simpler still.
At Checkpoint, we have three rules that are adapted from John Wesley's General Rules: 1) Do good, 2) Do no harm, 3) Strive to grow. When it came down to a choice of mask or no mask, vaccine or no vaccine, the answer came easily. The answer is obvious: COVID-19 causes harm. If I choose to not mask or refuse a vaccine despite being a viable candidate, then I believe I am doing indirect (and often direct) harm to God's beloved children. So, I am celebrating my second dose. My arm may hurt, but my heart is full.