When Coronavirus First Hit… How Did You Feel?

When COVID first made the headlines, how did you feel?

If you felt a twinge (or a tidal wave) of fear about what it might mean for you, your family, or life as you knew it, you weren’t alone. When we take in new data through our five senses—especially when that data seems to threaten our survival—the subconscious mind immediately kicks into gear.

And thank heavens for that, if our lives are truly in danger. That built-in autopilot mode was designed to help us survive real threats—triggering adrenaline, activating strength, and preparing us to run from the predator.

But unless we’re aware it’s happening, our subconscious will hijack our bodies even when there’s no immediate danger—like when you’re watching a suspenseful movie and your palms sweat because the character made a noise and now the monster’s chasing them. Your subconscious doesn’t know the difference. It’s responding as if you’re the one about to die.

So yes—COVID-19 was serious. It was a legitimate threat to many. I’m not downplaying that. But what wasn’t a true threat to your life was running out of toilet paper.

What wasn’t life-threatening was being out of food by Thursday.

Yet people all over the country went into panic mode like life itself depended on that jumbo pack of Charmin. And the subconscious mind loves to run that show… unless we interrupt it.

What To Do When Panic Creeps In

One of my wise mentors, Dr. Paul Jenkins, said something that stuck with me:

"You can do more damage than good by constantly trying to avoid thinking about worst-case scenarios."

In other words: yes, keep your mind positive. Yes, hold onto faith. Yes, expect miracles. But also... just answer the question.

Your subconscious wants to know:

“What are you going to do if [insert worst-case scenario here]?”

And it will. Not. Stop. Asking... until it gets a clear answer.

So instead of trying to shush it or drown it out with happy mantras, just answer the question. Neutrally. Logically. Calmly. Save your emotion for when you're imagining the best possible scenarios, instead (because that's one of the first steps for co-creating the thing you imagine).

Change Your Subconscious (and the 'overdue bill' example)

“What If?” — Let’s Answer the Subconscious

Q: “What if I get sick?”
A: I’ll do everything I can to stay healthy, but if I do get sick, I’ll rest, hydrate, pray, and trust that God will either heal me or walk with me through it. I’ll get the care I need, and I’ll take it one moment at a time.

Q: “What if I run out of toilet paper?”
A: I’ll rig up a bidet using the shower. Problem solved.

Q: “What if we run out of food?”
A: I’ll pray and I'll enlist Rare Faith to find it. I’ll trade something with a neighbor. I’ll get creative. I’ll remember the widow’s cruse of oil. I’ll rewatch 17 Miracles and marvel at the soufflé on the trail. I will read about the hot water bottle miracle. I’ll fill my mind with faith-filled stories, and I’ll trust that God has prepared a way. He always does.

Q: “What if the market crashes?”
A: I’ll thank God for what I have. I’ll tighten up, regroup, focus on family, and trust His plan. Maybe this is a reset. Maybe it’s an invitation to re-center. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll emerge stronger, wiser, and more grounded than ever.

Q: “What if I lose everything?”
A: Then I’ll discover something even greater: the peace of mind that only comes in the fire. That kind of peace is priceless. It’s refined. It’s earned in the middle of adversity. And once you’ve felt it, you’ll never trade it back for comfort. I’ll let God walk me through the refining process, and I’ll share what I learn to lift others, too.

This Is the Law of Polarity in Action

“In every adversity is the seed of equal or greater benefit.” – Napoleon Hill

The greater the challenge, the greater the opportunity. Expect blessings in uncertain times. Watch for tender mercies and divine compensation. Hold tight to hope. And most of all, look to Jesus Christ, who overcame all things and can help you overcome anything.

A Sacred Pause

Shared by Camber Packard Simson, with permission:

"It has been impressed upon my mind tonight the significance of a world pushing 'pause' for these weeks, or months, surrounding the bicentennial anniversary of the Restoration. Whether of our faith or not, the world as it usually is has become less busy, more 'quiet'. If you think about it, what do people usually spend their time doing? School-cancelled, work-asked to work from home, sporting events (large and small) cancelled, church- cancelled, travel-cancelled, all other events-cancelled. Though the threat of the virus itself isn't absolutely devastating, we have a world that is 'pausing' all around us. People can perhaps now hear the spirit when the 'noise' could have otherwise drowned it out. We have the opportunity now, especially before conference, to either fill our time with more noise, or we can really pray, study as families and individuals, and prepare ourselves for the promised life-changing bicentennial conference. We've been promised our experience will be a direct reflection of our preparation. I'm just in awe of the mysteries of the Lord. All things are done with wisdom. Love you all. ♥️"

We get to decide how we fill that silence. We can distract ourselves, or we can prepare. We’ve been told that our experience of General Conference will reflect our preparation. Now is the time to ready our hearts.

Rare Faith Still Applies

Things may be bumpy for a while. But the principles of Rare Faith are still alive, available, and so relevant.

Whether you’re navigating lockdown, a pandemic, a financial crisis, or just the storm inside your own thoughts—Rare Faith can guide you through it.

If you want to learn how, I highly recommend reading (or rereading) Hidden Treasures: Heaven’s Astonishing Help with Your Money Matters. It’s about way more than money—it’s about health, relationships, peace, and learning to trust miracles again.

You can download it free here.

Final Thoughts

A giant miracle is no harder for God than a tiny one. The only thing that ever seems to matter is this: No fear.

So I’ve adopted a couple mantras:

• “Keep Calm and Watch What Happens”

• “Fear Not.”

So while half the world is figuratively screaming "We're all gonna die!" and the other half is screaming "Everyone calm down!" the still small voice inside your heart is reminding you, "Peace be still."

“If you have faith, any situation swirling around right now really has no greater power over you than the unpaid bill did last month. It’s the same fear switch… and it’s the same faith that will get you through.”

If He can hold the world,
He can hold this moment.

“Be still and know that I am God.”

Think of it this way:

If you have faith, then whatever is swirling around right now—be it a pandemic, a financial crisis, or something else entirely—doesn’t actually hold any more power over you than that unpaid bill did last month.

It’s the same fear switch getting flipped in your head.
And it’s the same faith switch that will get you through this, too.

In other words:
The same faith that’s carried you to this point is the same faith that will carry you through whatever comes next.

If He can hold the world, He can hold this moment.
Jason Gray – "Sparrows" (Official Lyric Video)
Related Podcast: How and Why to Fear Not

I know how hard it can be to flip that fear off and turn the faith back on. It can feel frustrating—nearly impossible sometimes—to quiet the panic and cling to belief. It's really just a matter of finding and holding the right mindset long enough to see the effect of your faith.

And yes—it might take a little mental gymnastics to land on that peaceful place.
But once you do? You’ll know it.
And that’s when life really starts to flow—even in the middle of the chaos.

It took me seven years of consciously trying before I finally got it. And the wild thing is—it’s actually so simple. We just tend to complicate it.

I think of the Bible’s clear, direct instructions—things like:

“Fear not.”

It’s so simple that we often dismiss it. But that’s the key. That’s literally how your needs get met. The scriptures have already boiled it down for us.

“Ask and ye shall receive.”
That’s it. Right there.

The real problem isn’t that it doesn’t work.
The problem is that we don’t believe it.
We don’t trust it.

And that’s why we don’t experience the full truth of it.

But what if I could help you actually understand how and why you CAN trust it?

What if you could start seeing the effects of your faith—not just hoping for them?

There has never been a better time to lean into this.
Let’s get past the panic and step fully into the promises.

You can start learning for free—right now—by listening to my podcast or downloading all three of my books at no charge. But if you’re ready to really dive in, step-by-step, and make the Rare Faith principles a regular and reliable part of your life, then come join us for the next Guided Mindset Mastery class.

It’s like a full college course, but entirely focused on this one life-changing topic.

I’d love to walk you through it.

👉 Click here to learn more.