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Think You’ll Go Back To Normal?-by Heidi McLaughlin

Posted: May 10, 2020

Once we’ve experienced trauma or crisis, there is no going back to “normal.” When a brick wall falls down or a vase breaks, even though we repair it to make it look like new, it will never be the same. Hopefully in the near future we’ll be back in our stores, restaurants and churches and even though everything might look the same, we will perceive life differently. If we have a propensity to being fearful, we will become even more fearful. Because …”you never know what might happen next.” If we’ve hunkered down and trusted God for His daily emotional, physical and spiritual provisions, going forward we will learn to trust even more.

We will perceive life differently.

Hopefully we’ve become more resilient going through Covid-19. You see resilience is being able to go through difficulty such as misfortune or change, and become even stronger. We’ve all been thrust into an unfortunate disaster and how we conduct ourselves through it will determine how we will bounce back. Right now I see two camps.  Some people have become angrier, pointing fingers and blaming, while others have become kinder, less judgmental and gracious.

It will be a while before we can hug each other’s necks, but going forward let’s hug with intensity and gratefulness. Let’s become more thankful for freedom and daily abundance. Don’t forget to treasure our churches, health, and stores that supply good things. But most of all let’s be grateful for ever moment we can be with our families and friends.

Let’s become more thankful.

There is a 1 KM long incline on my daily 5 KM walks. Each time I see that intimidating hill I sigh, grumble and just want to head home. What I’ve learned to do while I’m walking is to look to the left toward the majestic mountains and glistening lake. I also focus on the budding vineyards, blossoming Mayday trees and carefully manicured landscape.  Before I know it I’ve made it and I’m at the top of the upslope.

It wasn’t hard because of where I chose to focus.

Today where is your focus?  You just want to get through this and get “back to normal?” Through every dynamic change we learn to function differently.  World war, 9-11, Vietnam war, the financial crisis of 2008, the discovery of air travel, the birth control pill and on and on.  Hopefully we’ve learned goodness and become resilient.

The Bible says: “…set your sights on the realities of heaven…let heaven fill your thoughts.” (Colossians 3:1,2) What we focus on and spend our time on is what we become. What we’re going through is very hard, but let’s focus on the beautiful possibilities that will make us more beautiful.  Whether we like it or not this crisis will change us one way or another as we head into a “new normal.”

Let’s come out of this better so that our pain was not wasted.

What are you setting your sights on these days? Just getting through this so you can get on with life? Changing your priorities? Wanting to be kinder and less judgmental? Let’s not waste these two months of unexpected pain. Use this time to make your new normal outrageously beautiful.

 

 

 

 

Posted in: Covid-19, crisis, decisions, Families, Fear, focus, happiness, hugs, Jesus, joy, new normal, resilience, resilient, thankful, trauma, trust Good, Uncategorized, unfortunate disaster