Back to Normal?

It's something you've probably heard almost since the pandemic began. "Can't wait until things are back to normal!" And as the time frame for the return to normalcy stretched from weeks to months now to a year, the desire and even desperation for normal has only grown. I get it. I can't wait either. I'm ready for masks to return to the domain of superheroes and kids who dress up like them. I wish that social distancing only referred to taking a step back from someone who has a different conception of personal space than you.

 But should everything go back to normal, to the way it was before? Maybe it would be good if a few things stayed the same. 

• If it was normal to have a functional belief in the invincibility of modern man to withstand whatever is thrown at us, it will be good to live with greater humility and an awareness of our vincibility. If God can bring the entire planet to its knees with a microscopic virus, shouldn't we be humble enough to acknowledge that blind confidence in advanced medical systems or financial systems or governments or power grids or clean water supply (or whatever you tend to trust in) is misplaced confidence? Apparently modern man has not conquered everything. Let's be thankful for the advances God allows us to make in all sorts of fields, but let's not go back to putting our trust in man. If it was normal to have small thoughts of God and big thoughts of man, I hope a pandemic reverses that.
• If it was normal to trust yourself more than God, you don't want to go back to that normal. The answer to trusting in man (see previous paragraph) is not to trust in ourselves. "I can't depend on them so I'll have to do it myself." Nope. Confidence in self is just as dangerous as confidence in others. What we need is confidence in the Creator. Of course we say we're dependent on God. But sometimes desperate circumstances reveal that we've actually been depending on ourselves, our jobs, our bank accounts, our skills, our strength, our wisdom. If the pandemic has revealed that you trust yourself more than God, praise him and pray that you will truly trust him and not return to self-reliance.
• If it was normal to take for granted assembling in person with your church family, I hope the pandemic has given a far greater appreciation for the gathered church. I hope every Sunday you are with the saints is precious and every Sunday you are hindered from being present is another reminder of how desperately you need it and how good God is to give it. If it was easy to make an excuse to miss worshiping with your church family before, I hope there will be no excuses now. 

Back to normal? Hopefully not in every way. What would you add to the list?