Tasteless: A Reflection After Having Covid

 As many of you know, a couple of weeks ago my family and I got the sad news we tested positive for Covid. Thankfully, we had it relatively easier than many around the world, and for that we are so grateful. But it would be a lie to say that it was the easiest thing in the world.

Apart from the chills, constant cough, and body aches, I believe the worst part was losing my sense of smell and taste. I remember eating a granola bar Thursday evening and asking if it was some kind of super protein, low sugar bar since it barely had any taste. Then Friday was officially the end, with my last taste being a Gatorade drink. I couldn’t believe it; in a span of 2 hours I had completely lost my sense of taste and smell. Soups, sandwiches, juice, coffee, none of it had any taste.

With the loss of smell came the loss of appetite. Eating became another chore with the only optimistic part being a time to be together at the table with the whole family. Elias, my younger brother, also had lost his smell and taste. We would tease one another about the supposed smells around us and ask constantly if either one had gotten these senses back.

Both Elias and I are glad to have these senses back, however, being without them brought much reflection and pondering on tastelessness in other areas of life.

Smell and taste can be often overlooked in our day to day, and yet these things give our bodies alerts and are a source of great joy. So much of our interactions with one another consist of tastes and smells!

Recently I’ve heard of a new word the New York Times has come up with to explain the general mood of 2021: languishing. In many ways it’s similar to being tasteless. Activities become a chore and it can be difficult to find purpose or joy in them. Little by little, you might even forget how they smelled or brought you joy.

Although I’m glad and enjoying having these sense back, I’ve realized tastelessness wasn’t just subject to my mouth and nose. It can be so easy to lose focus and perspective with ministry in this time of pandemic. A year ago I was just thankful for the opportunity to get a head start on learning the dynamics and culture of GBU, yet now I wonder if I’ll ever get to be in country.

But unlike my seasons of languishing or tastelessness, God continues to be at work.

Coming out of Covid was like watching the days pass by while my body was walking in slow motion. Tiredness and fatigue made it difficult to form complete thoughts, even less to connect. But even in this fatigue, the love of family and friends was refreshing. We received cards in the mail, phone calls, even a home cooked meal! Slowly but surely, my body and mind were coming awake.

Love makes the difference. Even when it’s hard to see a purpose, to see meaning in sight, love reminds me that it is strong enough to move mountains. To receive the love of friends and family in the week of Easter made Jesus’s resurrection all the more real and personal. Death was passing over us, we had been spared.

I may still struggle with languishing, this sense of extended confusion, grief, and weakness. But as I finish this post (which by the way has taken a couple of weeks to write), I hold on to the glimmer of hope we find in the resurrection. That the same Jesus that rose from the dead will do the same with us who follow him. Not only that, but he promises to return!

Love was victorious on that day, let it be victorious today! May the God of Love set our eyes on the eternal so that we may have strength for today, loving others out of an abundance of love we’ve received.