Invictus: Overcoming the Coronavirus

By Dr. Samuel White III

INVICTUS, will develop your relationship with God and inform you how faith, hope, peace, love, grace, and joy can strengthen your soul to overcome the coronavirus.

The coronavirus has fostered death and destruction throughout the world. It has brought about mass misery, poverty, destabilization of the world economy, collapse of healthcare, disruption of social, educational, recreational, and religious life, however, its greatest damage is on the soul. The social isolation, financial hardship, limitations to our freedom, loneliness, frustration, complicated grief, existential emptiness, nihilism, hopelessness, frustration, anger, sadness, despair, and deep sense of loss associated with the coronavirus has taken a toll on the soul. Consequently, many have lost faith in God, hope for the future, love for humanity, grace for change, peace of mind, and joy for life.
How do we handle this major threat to our soul? We use a mask to cover our mouth and nose, but what do we use to cover the soul from the spiritual toxicity of the coronavirus? How do we guard our soul from the spiritual, emotional, and psychological damaging impact of the coronavirus?
Fortunately, God has blessed humanity with spiritual values and biblical principles that will safeguard us from COVID 19s spiritual toxicity. Practicing virtues of faith, hope, love, peace, grace, and joy will protect the soul and empower us to become, “more than conquerors.” (Romans 8:37 NRSV). We are Invictus-unconquerable when we trust God and apply Gods’ values to our lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 18, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664223943

Dr. Samuel White III

Dr. Samuel White, III is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Pastor, Spiritual Care Manager, prolific writer of 14 books, and founder of Agape Theological Seminary. Dr. White wrote this self-help book to inspire readers, to love themselves, live in the moment, have an attitude of gratitude and enjoy life with Jesus.

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Scripture marked (KJV) taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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WestBow Press rev. date: 02/18/2021

INVICTUS

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeoning’s of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,

I am the captain of my soul.

- William Ernest Henley

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I want to give honor to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who is the incarnation of Invictus, of unconquerability. There was nothing or no one who could break His spirit. They harassed, persecuted, ridiculed, mocked, beat, spat, whipped, and crucified him and he remained invincible. Blood, sweat, and tears poured down his battered body and he remained unconquerable. From the cross Jesus spoke words of forgiveness, love, hope, fulfillment, and paradise. His head was bloodied but unbowed.

Furthermore, the resurrection of Jesus Christ reveals his unconquerable soul that the devil and death could not destroy. It is because Jesus is undefeatable that For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. (I. John 5:4, NRSV)

I am thankful for my parents who demonstrated Invictus. They were victims of a racist society that constantly discriminated and dehumanized them, yet they worked hard, became successful, raised six children, and retired in peace and prosperity. Even as my father died of cancer and my mother endured physical ailments, they still had an unconquerable attitude. My parents were great examples to my brothers and sisters and I. They showed us not to back down to anyone or anything. I thank God for their triumphant spirit.

I am grateful for my wonderful wife whose unconquerable spirit has propelled her to the top of her profession. Moreover, she is instilling that same undefeatable spirit in our son, and daughter. She is amazing woman of God.

Thanks to my co-workers at PACE and all those health care heroes, essential workers, nurses, physicians, scientist, virologist, and persons on the frontline battling this pandemic, they are the real inspiration of this book. I am eternally grateful for all their hardwork and sacrifice.

Finally, I am thankful for the unconquerable spirit of the members of Friendship Baptist Church who still worship and serve the Lord. They have not let the nihilistic spirit of the coronavirus stop them from doing Gods’ will. A special thanks to my editor and friend Mrs. Elaine Rainey.

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory

through our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Corinthians 15:57, NRSV

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 Faith Overcomes Coronavirus

Chapter 2 Hope Overcomes Coronavirus

Chapter 3 Love Overcomes the Coronavirus

Chapter 4 Peace Overcomes the Coronavirus

Chapter 5 Grace Overcomes the Coronavirus

Chapter 6 Joy Overcomes the Coronavirus

Chapter 7 Spiritual Quarantine

Chapter 8 Coronavirus, Death, Dying and Healing

Final Thoughts

Bibliography

About The Author

PREFACE

I had the privilege of serving as the Academic Dean of the Ecumenical Theological Seminary and hosting an online panel discussion called, Overcoming COVID 19. The purpose of the virtual event was to provide Michiganders the medical, psychological, political, spiritual, and practical knowledge they need to overcome the coronavirus.

The State of Michigan had one of the highest rates of persons with the virus and the highest mortality rates of persons dying of COVID 19. This pandemic has exposed Detroit’s health care inequities and racial disparities. Blacks and marginalized people were dying of COVID 19 at an alarming rate.

The seminary had a moral mandate to convene a panel of experts and powerbrokers to address this deadly crisis. I invited Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist, physician Dr. Gwen Graddy, psychiatrist Dr. Vincent Gardner, Funeral Director Rev. David Aikens, and the President of ETS Rev. Dr. Ken Harris. Everyone shared their wisdom and knowledge on how to cope with the virus.

It was an excellent panel discussion with many viewers expressing their gratitude. We learned that the State of Michigan had programs, policies, and services to secure the public’s health and welfare. Dr. Gwen Graddy explained the coronavirus and emphasized the importance of wearing a mask, washing your hands, and keeping social distancing. Dr. Vincent Gardner shared the need to care for our mental health. Rev. David Aikens talked about the difficulty of providing funerals for families. Lastly, Dr. Harris testified how he was able to survive COVID 19 and the untimely death of his beloved wife.

I was truly enriched by the discussion; however, it did not address the toxicity of the coronavirus, its impact on the soul and what we can do about it. In other words, how does a person protect their soul from fear, doubt, stress, anxiety, nihilism, narcissism, sadness, grief, loneliness, hopelessness, and multiple losses associated with the virus? We use the mask to protect our bodies, but what do we use to protect our soul?

This brief book will attempt to answer this and other questions. Contrary to conventional thinking, we are not defenseless and helpless to the negative feelings and behaviors associated with the virus. God has blessed us with spiritual values and practices we can use to protect us from the spiritual toxicity of the coronavirus. Practicing virtues of faith, hope, love, peace, and joy will protect the soul and empower us to overcome the coronavirus. We can be Invictus-unconquerable when we trust God and apply Gods’ values to our lives.

INTRODUCTION

We are in the fight for our lives. Never in all of history has humanity had to confront a pandemic that has destroyed so many lives. The Coronavirus or COVID-19 has invaded every part of the world and infected millions and killed hundreds of thousands. COVID 19 is affecting 213 countries and territories. At the time of this publication, the CDC reports that there are more than 20,000 COVID 19 cases in the United States and over 420,000 deaths.

COVID 19 is an enemy against humanity. It is a vicious virus that insidiously infects our body by entering healthy cells and makes copies of itself and multiplies throughout our body. The new coronavirus latches its spiky surface proteins to receptors on healthy cells, especially those in our lungs.

It is a formidable foe that starts with droplets from an infected person’s cough, sneeze, or breath. They could be in the air or on a surface that you touch before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. That gives the virus a passage to the mucous membranes in your throat.

Within 2 to 14 days, your immune system may respond with symptoms including fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, chills, body aches, headache, sore throat, loss of taste, loss of smell, nausea, and diarrhea. More than 8 in 10 cases are mild, but for some, the infection gets more severe. As fluid collects in your lungs, they carry less oxygen to your blood. That means your blood may not supply your organs with enough oxygen to survive. This can cause your kidneys, lungs, and liver to shut down and eventually, stop working.

COVID 19 has taken a significant toll on people across the world. It has brought about a destabilization of the world economy, bankruptcy of businesses, dramatic increase in the unemployment rate, perversion of our political process, disruption of social and recreational life, collapse of our hospitals and healthcare organizations, devastation of our educational institutions, desolation of our religious institutions, and unconscionable, unrelenting, uncompromising amount pain, suffering, death, and loss. Everyone on this planet has been affected by the coronavirus.

The greatest damage that the virus has inflicted upon us is on our souls. Our souls are indirectly attacked by the spiritual toxicity of the coronavirus. The social isolation, death, financial hardship, limitations to our freedom, loneliness, frustration, rage, cynicism, narcissism, despair, existential emptiness, hopelessness, and sadness associated with the coronavirus has vitiated the soul. Consequently, many have lost faith in God, hope for the future, love for humanity, grace for change, peace of mind, and joy for life. It is no wonder that there is an increase in the number of people suffering from complicated grief, depression, disorientation, substance abuse, domestic violence, criminal behavior, violent social rebellion, and suicide. The coronavirus is a major threat to our soul.

We use a mask to cover our mouth and nose, but our soul is still vulnerable. How do we guard our soul from the spiritual and emotional damaging impact of Covid-19? This pandemic has taken so many things from us: family, friends, health, employment, financial security, sense of freedom, the ability to go to Church, travel, see our loved ones at Nursing Homes, make hospital visits, attend concerts, professional sporting events, dining -out, social-outings, going to the movies, hand shaking, warm embracing, and even giving our deceased loved ones a proper burial. All these losses have taken a toll on our soul.

Coronavirus has come like a thief in the night and robbed us of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, however, the late great existentialist Viktor Frankl reminds us, Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of human freedoms- to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. We have the freedom to choose how we will respond to the coronavirus and decide how we want to deal with its viciousness. Life is all about making choices.

The poet William Henley articulates our spiritual freedom in his classic poem, Invictus. Invictus means unconquerable or undefeated in Latin. The poem was written while Henley was in the hospital being treated for tuberculosis of the bone. Henley had his foot amputated directly below the knee and was going to have a similar operation on his other leg but was able to save it. Henley endured a lot of pain and suffering. He had one foot intact and led an active life until his death at the age of 53.

Invictus is a personal testimony of a man who had the courage to face pain, suffering and death, and hold unto his dignity. The night, darkness or life’s hardships could not defeat his unconquerable soul that refused to wince nor cry aloud. Henley did not grumble or complain, nor was he afraid. He defiantly proclaims that he is the master of his fate and the captain of his soul. Henley did not let his handicap, sickness, or the threat of death, determine how he felt and how he lived.

Invictus reminds us of the fact that we are the sole authorities of ourselves. Even God does not take away our free will and ability to make choices. We are responsible for our own destiny. We do not choose what happens to us, however, we can choose how we will respond. The Bible clarifies our freedom of choice. I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse, therefore choose life, your descendants may live. (Deuteronomy 30:19, NRSV)

We do not choose to live under the constant threat of the coronavirus, but we can choose how we will respond to it. We have a choice in how to cope with this pandemic. Furthermore, every choice that we make has the potential to bless or curse, give us life or death.

If we wear a mask, wash our hands, keep social distancing, and practice spiritual values, we will become unconquerable and live the abundant life. On the other hand, if we ignore science, choose not to wear a mask, refuse to wash our hands, or keep social distancing, we are courting sickness, suffering