Every state in the union is now at least partially open.  Employers are trying to find ways to get their employees safely back to work.  Restaurants are starting to allow dine-in eating again.  Paper goods and bleach products are back on store shelves.  All these things signal a move for the country, and even the world, to get back to normal.

I’ve got to be honest.  I’m not interested in going back to normal.    My “normal” wasn’t that great.

This slower pace has been wonderful for me.  I spend less time fussing at the kids and more time enjoying their company.  I’ve watched more TV in  the last two months than I probably have watched in the last two years.  I’ve read more books, written more blogs, and talked to more people than I normally would have.

There are things I miss, of course.  I miss not seeing  extended family. I miss Happy Hours and date nights.  And sometimes, I even miss church.

But I’d be lying if I said I was ready to go back to normal.   Experts say reopening too quickly could lead to a second wave of virus exposure, and a second round of restrictions.  I know we can’t stay at home forever.  I know many people are anxious to get back to work, to get back to the way things were.

I think about the children of Israel, groaning in the desert, longing to go back to slavery, because at least in slavery they had meat to eat.

Lord, help us to be grateful for the season we are in, to appreciate the provisions you’ve already made, and the promise of a better tomorrow.  I don’t want to go back to normal.  I believe there’s something better on the other side of this.