I live in the UK, and many people are using the term “the new normal.” What will the new normal look like? What will life be like after COVID-19? Should we go back to the old normal, how things were before lockdown? What should change? What might change? Do we want change? Can we go back to how things were before?
Every society in every age has a “normal.” We don’t usually think about it. We just accept it and live it. Yet when we look back in history to what was seen as normal in the past, some things horrify us. We ask why the people of that age didn’t question their normal. It usually took a crisis or a forward-looking person with a vision to facilitate change.
We are now in a crisis, maybe coming out of a crisis, and many people are questioning our lifestyles, our values and our priorities. Many more people have turned to prayer, with a huge increase in internet searches of “how do I pray?” Businesses are realizing that their employees can work at home; families realize that they need more time together; frontline medical staff have been recognized, and churches realize they can function outside of their buildings. We all need to evaluate our “normal” and decide whether it should change.
This crisis has affected the whole world at the same time. Whole communities and countries are looking to the future together. Many are working together in a way that they have been too busy or disinterested to do before. Or maybe there was no “normal,” which suggests we didn’t interact very closely with our neighbors.
Our churches needed to change through lockdown. We can no longer hide in our buildings. We cannot unquestioningly continue with our weekly routines. We have had to think carefully about what we are doing, how we serve God and our neighbors during this time. We have developed creative ways to communicate; we have supported each other and the people around us, and we have had to prioritize needs.
I was shocked and shamed when I spoke to a lady from our church who had been housebound with illness before the lockdown. She shared that when she was in her own personal lockdown, a few people contacted her, prayed for her and supported her, but many days went by when she heard nothing from the church family. Since COVID-19, there has been an increase in WhatsApp groups, Zoom meetings and Face Timing. She has communicated several times a day with others who are now sharing her lockdown experience. How can the new normal ensure that she continues to get that level of connection?
People often have personal crises, when everyone else’s “normal” continues. Illness, bereavement, financial difficulties, unemployment and so on can be devastating for families, whilst everyone else carryies on as usual. We need churches to consider their response during church members’ personal crises.
Sometimes we can be supportive during an emergency, or give short term support through a bereavement or after an accident. There are families, however, who live through a crisis day after day. These are the families with a disabled child, or those with mental illness, or those caring for a spouse with dementia. Their “normal” has changed through no decision on their part. They have had to alter their lifestyle. It starts to become “normal,” and not considered a crisis. Other people ask how they are less and less frequently. Times passes, yet the crisis has not really gone away.
Photo credit: Harry Smith on Pexels.com.
It is so easy to consider the majority, but Jesus often searched out individuals in their time of crisis. As Christians, we need to follow His example. Once the COVID-19 crisis is over, are we going to go back to our old “normal?” Have we learned to empathize with those who are struggling, alone and isolated, those who can’t get into a church building, those who have family to care for, or those whose daily lives revolve around survival?
At Vineyard Church in St Albans, UK, we have used this time to consider how we are going to move people from survival to empowerment. Our Care Centre has been invaluable to many people who need food, children’s clothes and baby equipment. We know these have been important means of support, but we want more for our community. There are many people living near our church who are disabled, unemployed, some who are homeless, families with a disabled child, those suffering from domestic abuse and those with mental illness. They all need to feel part of the church community. We need to find ways in which these individuals and families are not peripheral to the church, but are enabled and included, as part of the church family.
We have made a start in the last few years to bring hope and encouragement, to bring God’s love and healing, to come alongside and to support people living with crisis. We believe God has more in order to achieve the abundant, fulfilled lives that Jesus came to bring.
What should our “new normal” look like? We all need to evaluate what we have learned from the COVID-19 crisis. We all need to seek God for what He wants our “new normal” to look like. Let us consider when we come out of lockdown those people who remain in their personal isolation or crisis.
Sue Sutton has nearly 50 years of experience working with people with learning disabilities. She has developed training programs for people working with a variety of learning disabilities and mental health issues. Sue is the author of “Living Fulfilled Lives: Empowering People With Learning Disabilities.” Connect with her on Facebook.
