It seems like we’re seeing several states begin to open up parts of their economies. My question is “Will it stick?” It would be great if things would stay open rather than closing again at some point, but when I ask, “Will it stick?” I’m thinking about something else altogether.
As the weeks have gone by, I have heard more and more people talk about how they’ve been humbled by this whole experience. People are learning to rely more on God. People are appreciating time with loved ones. People are discovering the little gifts in each day. People are watching winter turn into spring, intentionally. As these days go by, even though many things are very difficult, some very good things are also happening. In some important ways, we are growing up. There are lessons being learned that we don’t want to forget. This is what I’m thinking about when I ask, “Will it stick?”
When we all go back to life as it was before (or as close as possible), will we remember, or will we forget? We don’t generally do a very good job of remembering. A half-dozen crises come to mind. We learned something and then we forgot. Our illusions got stripped away and then we built them back up. We learned to appreciate blessings and have faith and then we got busy again and it went away. Will it stick this time? Only you and I can answer that question. It comes down to a simple act of the will. If we are determined to let this experience change us, it will. If we are not determined, it won’t. Yes, Grace and the power of the Holy Spirit have a lot to do with this, too, but you and I are never forced to change. So, do we care enough? Do we care enough to let this be a defining experience for us, in a good way? Will we decide to not go back to being who we were? Jesus once said, “Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit…” (John 15:4–5). Will it stick? May the Grace of God be with us all. Your Fellow Minister in Christ, Mark
