About two weeks ago as the coronavirus began to take grip on the nation, a business owner in Georgia decided to do something about it.

That’s when Susan Polhill of Louisville put up a big, wooden cross outside her store with colored Christmas lights wound around it. She wanted to inspire people to rely on their faith and not dwell in fear.

Her action has inspired others to do the same.

Judy McCrea of Sciota heard about the cross and others who have put up crosses from her step-niece, who lives in Georgia. McCrea said she found the story inspiring because the people of that little town are not well off. They have struggled financially for many years, but they have more than money.

“It’s just amazing to see their faith,” she said.

McCrea shared their story with her friends, but didn’t have a cross to put up herself. That was until a couple she knows brought one over for her.

“Somebody thought to make one for me,” she said, still touched by their kindness. “We are going to trust God, and we’re not going to fear this.”

McCrea said trusting God doesn’t mean people should stop being careful. That’s important, too, and everyone should continue to follow the guidelines.

To date, at least 13,000 lighted crosses have gone up in Georgia and other states.

After Tracy Rowe of Albrightsville heard about it the crosses, she started a Facebook group called the Pocono Mountains Faith Over Fear.

“Thank you for joining in an effort to share the light, hope, joy, strength and promises of Jesus Christ,” she posted on the page. “This group is a celebration and testimony to the beauty of community, bringing light to the darkness, and publicly declaring our willingness to pray and praise deeply during these unsettling times. Thank you for being a powerful part of a powerful movement. God bless every single one of you!”

Rowe said in an interview that it’s easy to get pulled into the darkness of what’s going on, but these crosses lighten the darkness.

Now during Holy Week is a great time to put up a cross, she said, and they can be made out of twigs, leftover boards or even deck railings. Just don’t go to the store to buy materials, she said.

Justine Nearhood of Jonas said when she heard about the crosses, she said, “‘Whoa, let’s do it,’ so I put my husband on it.”

He was all for it and told her, “It’s time we let the world know.”

“I love that, she said. “It’s a beautiful sign of faith, especially in these trying times.”

Nearhood said he grabbed some planks of wood from the garage, built a 5-foot-tall cross, and wrapped “all of their Christmas lights” on it. They leave it on all day.

“The neighbors across the street said they love the glow,” she said. “That glow reminds me to stop with the fear and sit back and relax.”

She hopes that people who drive by and see it, will also feel the glow.

Kathy Grochowski, another friend in the group, summed it up, “In this time of fear, people need a reminder that Jesus is our hope.”

Similarly, McCrea said the lighted cross means even more than faith over fear. “It’s declaring to the Lord I have faith in you. I trust in you. He’s amazing.”