Six months ago we scrambled to meet the demands of our rapidly changing environment. Not only did we pay attention to our physical environment by washing our hands and masking our faces, but we also suspended many of our activities and began doing many things remotely. In a matter of weeks, we put in motion a process by which we could work, worship and fellowship remotely. As I look back at what we have been able to do in the last six months, I am thankful for what we have been able to do, but we need to be reminded that much of what we have in place was intended to be temporary and must not become our new normal. Yes, we are able to function at a distance using interim solutions; but we are not operating at our best and we mustn’t be lulled into complacency.
I will allow the education and business experts to weigh-in on the impact this will have on our schools and economy, but I want to focus on this as it relates to the work and worship of the church. Again, I am thankful we have the ability to do things remotely, but the longer this drags out, the more tempting the temporary becomes. If we aren’t careful, what was designed to get us through the interim can be accepted as the routine. The more comfortable we get in not being personally involved in serving our fellow man, the easier it is to be reduce our outreach. The longer we worship remotely, the more tempting it is to accept a passive role in our approach to worshipping God. The problem with this is that what we are doing now is not our best. Yes, it can bridge a gap, but it must not become the foundation upon which we build our future.
Please be safe, but also stay uncomfortable with the temporary fixes we have in place. Let’s crave the time we can get back to our best because if we become satisfied with the temporary we might just get stuck with accepting it as our permanent solution.