As the pandemic appears to be
on the decline and we have the
opportunity to return to normal,
it would be a good thing to
consider what ‘normal’ may look
like.
There were many jokes about “the new normal” of forced isolation and the wearing of bank-robber attire. We are at a place where a new normal is on the horizon.
The older generation always longs for “the good ol’ days” when things were supposedly simpler. Nostalgia is their stock-in-trade. However, this desire for the old normal has been true from time immemorial.
If we take just a simple look at history, we will see that there is no going back. Time marches on, and the times they are a’changin’.
We’ve never been at this place before. We have been in a place of fear—fear for our lives, fear of our neighbor, fear of the next newscast. This fear has produced a generalized negativity in the population wherein only the worst is expected.
Time marches on and the times they are a’changin’
The church has lost its place of authority in people’s lives which has been replaced by the government and media. Our times of worship have gone from once or twice a week to at least once a day—often more—where we are told what to believe and how to act by someone we don’t know.
Most of the people reading this grew up through the ‘60s of the previous century when that kind of thinking was thrown aside for a more commendable process of critical thinking and asking questions. Sadly, critical thought has been replaced by criticism of anything with which I don’t agree.
No longer do we question that which is fed us by the government or media. We willingly accept whatever is dictated as the new normal.
Since we are at a crossroads, we have the chance to change all that. As the pandemic subsides, we will be presented with a blank slate—a tabula rasa—upon which we can write a new story, a new way of life.
Hopefully, during this time of forced isolation and the lack of visible smiles and a warm handshake or hug, you have begun to discover what is important to life.
Will you seize the opportunity to make your life better? Or, will you try to simply return to what you were doing a year ago?
The silver lining in all this is that we are given a blank slate, and one should never waste a blank-slate moment to write a new story.
Practical Bible Teaching 