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When this is all over, we will never be the same….

When the world returns to its fast pace…

When we all come out from our homes, blinking at the bright sunshine that never dimmed…

When our healthcare providers can take a breath without fearing infection…. 

When they can sleep, rest, cry… 

When they find peace after all they have seen and experienced…

When families bury their loved ones…

Grieve their losses…

Stagger away from graves as our war heroes who were most scarred by this virus…

When those who have battled for their lives are restored… 

We will never be the same.

We will never take for granted the freedoms we had to do the simplest of things. To run to the store for bananas. To hug our grown kids. To sit on the floor and play with our grandkids. 

We will never take for granted the privilege of gathering with our brothers and sisters in Christ to break bread, to worship, to come to the Table.

We will never take for granted a handshake. A hug. A kiss on the cheek in greeting.

We will never take for granted what we once thought we would never lose.

We will be awakened.

We will be awakened because while we once thought we were in control, we never really were. We will see how fragile life is and that the Author of Life is the only One in control. We will seek God more.

We will be awakened to how connected we are to one another. Not just to our families and friends, but we are connected to people all the way on the other side of the world. Their destiny and our destiny are delicately intertwined. We will be more responsible.

We will be awakened to who we really are. We will see that we can be noble and heroic even with something as simple as just.stay.home. We will realize that what we really value isn’t the stuff of life but it’s the people in our lives…and the people we do not even know. We will see that like generations before us that we have what it takes to do what’s necessary for the common good. We will be more noble.

We will be awakened to the needs of others. We have been asked to slow down for the sake of those who are at risk. And we have done it. We have closed businesses, cancelled money-making events, delayed dream trips. We have stopped doing what might hurt our neighbors. We will awaken to finally see the needs of all the at-risk among us. We will see the poor and disadvantaged in a new way and we will act and vote differently. We will be more conscientious.

We will be awakened to our limits. We will see that even though our world leaders seek to do what’s necessary and best for the common good, they are limited. They do not fully know what to do–and yet they lead bravely. For us individually, there is also so much we do not understand. But humbly, we comply. We will be more humble. 

We will be awakened to our personal and institutional gaps. For us personally, we will realize how much we need community. We will reach out and connect in ways we never have. We will build the social network we wish we had had in place before. For the church, we will also realize where the gaps are in our way of doing church. We will see whether we have built a network of community that can sustain not meeting on Sundays. We will ask and seek answers to the question: What does it mean to be the church? In our isolation, we will emerge with a new commitment to connection. We will be more connected.

When this ends, we will never be the same.