We all seem to be eager to return to life as we once knew it. I can’t help wondering if we’re rushing too quickly back into it. Personally, I like alone time, yet part of me yearns to be with those I enjoy spending time with. I had low points during the pandemic, as did many others. I was fortunate in that I never fell into complete times of depression, but Iexperienced loneliness, sadness, frustration, fear of becoming sick and other emotions which hindered me in various ways. Still in all of it, I tried to maintain a positive outlook and see the benefits of this time of isolation. It got me thinking about the things that really matter and those I care about the most.

There were many positives that came from that time. We saw a return to family life – even though many considered it too much. Priorities changed too. We longed to gather, but were held back from attending church, coffee time, small group meetings, visits from friends and all of that became intense over time. However, our need to be involved took on a new meaning. We began to find other ways of communicating even though it lacked physical touch or interaction. We learned about forms of technology that would open our doors again and allow us to shop, worship, teach and learn because of it.

So now in this huge rush to return to life as it was, it is really time to look back and see if we learned any valuable lessons during this time. Did you? We discovered that we had more time to spend on daily devotions, home Bible study, conversations between the two of us that had gone by the wayside in the busyness of every day living. We learned that we didn’t have to go to the doctor every six months. In fact the entire time we were probably more healthy than we ever were because of our imprisonment. We ventured into online church services that were offered and were edifyed by them.

Over the past month, the numbers have dropped. People are getting vaccinated. Suddenly it’s like night has turned into day in an instant. We seem to have no fear. We walk into stores without masks. We dine in at restaurants that are still struggling to maintain staff. We are gathering at church, attending graduations, weddings, funerals and other events with no apparent concern for possible new strains or resurgance of another pandemic. I’m not suggesting that we continue to separate ourselves from the world, but I am asking that we don’t jump right into the same kind of careless, selfish behavior that was going on before this all began. If we’ve learned anything during this time it should be how important we are to each other. The value we place on relationships is so important. Instead of becoming angry and hateful, we need to reevaluate what this pandemic has done to us and what we can glean from it in a positive way. Above all, we should thank and praise God for getting through this time and providing another day.