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Normal Isn't Coming Back
A lot of people, including myself, are saying we can't wait to get back to normal!
From my life's experiences, I can attest to the fact that people don't like change much, at least most people I know. We can absorb some, and when forced, we can absorb a lot, but our real level of comfort is slow gradual change that doesn't rock the boat. This pandemic has caused considerable boat rocking, but not only the pandemic, life and people in general have changed pretty rapidly over the past few years. I don't know if social media has caused it, simply revealed it, or is fueling it, but hatred is on the rise, as is resentment, cynicism, animosity and many other forms of interpersonal relationship manipulation and destruction.
What we used to call normal, pandemic aside, we don't have anymore. People are different. Their adverse behavior doesn't bother them anymore, even when directed at fellow citizens. What we used to tolerate with some discomfort as our societal norms, isn't the same anymore, and it probably won't ever be again. Many of us would feel really good if we could just revert to a few months before the pandemic, because we were only struggling to stomach the changing world we were being forced to swallow. Then, we were observers, but could pretty much stay out of things. Along came the virus, and all us became participants.
But all of it combined has us wishing for a life back inside our comfort zone. I'd like to see the 1970's again, for me 'the good old days' back when long hair and rock bands were what parents feared the most.
The new normal has evolved with a lot of damage to God's church. Some have died physically, but a whole lot of people have died spiritually, or at least are sick, with some on spiritual life support. Satan has used the pandemic as an accelerant to heat up the evil he already had cooking before a world wide virus ever showed up. Our isolation to avoid exposure has damaged us, even if it was the medically correct thing to do. Our lack of meeting together as a body of Christ has damaged us. Our fellowship has been dealt a great blow while we were trying to 'stay safe'.
For some, skipping church services in an effort to stay well has made it easy now to skip church services for most any reason. I'm not making that up off the top of my head, a lot of research going on in religious circles is proving that out. Church attendance is way down, and while attendance is not the only gauge used to determine our faithfulness, it seems to track pretty closely with the bigger picture in most people's lives. Satan has been a really busy guy trying to pull us down while we are struggling to hold it all together.
But here's the reality of all this rambling! NORMAL ISN'T COMING BACK. BUT JESUS IS! Are we still ready for Him? Do we need to do some relationship mending between us and our Savior? Has Satan managed to pull us away in our time of struggle?
