“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…”

Thus began Charles Dickens’ classic A Tale of Two Cities.

The scene he depicted is not unlike what we have experienced over the last few weeks.  We have seen both the best and worst of humanity.  While some have hoarded, others have displayed unselfish generosity.  Some have complained, and others have chosen to encourage and uplift.  Many have lived in fear, but so many others have boldly verbalized and practiced confident faith in God.

The Best of Times

I’ve seen a lot of good and a lot of bad the last few days.  People have reached out to help those in need.  I’ve witnessed many people (myself included) exercise a lot more patience than usual with others.  More prayer. More positive talk.  Much more Christian witness and many more sermons online.

The Worst of Times

And the bad.  People have hoarded basic necessities depriving others of needed items.  Tempers have flared in some places.  For all the patience I’ve seen, I’ve also see the ugliness of greed and selfish, childish narcissism.  Politicians have played the public for pawns.  Even Christian ministries have taken the opportunity to peddle their services designed to be just what we need at this time. And, of course, the news media has not helped.  Instead of disseminating helpful advice and information, they choose to sensationalize every story. 

What I Fear

But what I fear is that when the threat is over, we will return to life as normal.

Those who criticized churches for not meeting will choose to so spend their Sunday somewhere outside of church. 

Will we continue to be concerned for the needs of others or return to our self-centered pursuit of life? 

After the pandemic has ended, there will still be people who need food and assistance.  Will we still be as concerned for them and will we be diligent to help meet their needs?

I wonder if parents who had to homeschool their kids will be more appreciative of their kids teachers? And will they be more respectful of those who choose homeschool as their family’s educational path?

Will churches still broadcast online so that the Gospel has a broader reach than their walls?  Speaking of walls, will the church learn the lesson of how impactful we can be when we move beyond our walls?  Will we continue to practice social distancing from those who are different from us? Hopefully we will be more socially aware and involved. 

This pandemic will have a silver lining and good will come from it if we emerge more caring and committed.  If we continue caring and serving our community in ways outside of our comfort zone, then it was worthwhile.

Moving Forward

Let’s begin thinking about life after Coronavirus.  We have a choice.  Go back to the way it was or learn the lessons God is teaching.  I wrote previously that I believe God intended this as a stop sign to force Psalm 46:10 on us.  What will we learn in quarantine?  How does God want to reset His church? 

But cultural and organizational changes are merely a collection of individual changes.  How will YOU change as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?  How will you emerge from social distancing? You have been forced to be still.  Have you taken the time to acknowledge that Jehovah is God? What is HE saying TO to you, doing IN you, and planning to do THROUGH you?