I don’t know if you’re like me but I am slightly unsure about what the future holds. Bit of an obvious statement, I know. Of course that is true for all of us at any time, we could be knocked down by a bus (why is this always the example people use?), lose our jobs, or receive the diagnosis we never wanted to hear, or we could come into some money, be offered a new exciting job opportunity or receive a massive encouragement, all at any moment in the future. The future will, to a large extent, remain unknown.
But when I say I am unsure I mean more in the ‘unprecedented’ sense. We were continually told, and we probably regularly said, that this last year was ‘unprecedented’ but what does returning from such a place look like? Will it be much like it was before, with 2020 soon becoming a distant memory, with only the memes left to remind us? Is this the first pandemic of many? Is this a rollercoaster we are no longer getting off? Is it the beginning of the end??????
And what choices do we have? What can we do to prepare for the next few weeks, months and year ahead? What can we do to ensure we enter whatever the future looks like with some stability, so that our ever growing uncertainty does not come crashing down on us like a jenga tower waiting for just one more little touch? There’s a few things that have been going around my mind which I think apply to both personal life, and church life and so I share them below, in the hope, not that it will add certainty to the future to come, but that it will help you to process that mass of thoughts and feelings many of us are feeling as we approach the return to supposed normality.
There are four areas I am thinking about for the future; Redeem, Remember, Refine and Refuse. For each, I’ve tried to summarise my thoughts, then give some thoughts and questions on how this applies in the personal and church setting.
Redeem
There are many things that were removed from us during lockdown, the ability to see friends and family, to go to the gym or play sport, the freedom to worship with your church family and many more. If I was to ask ‘what have you missed being able to do?’ I am sure you will say all the big things, like friends, family etc., but I would guess there would be quite a few small things too, maybe sitting for ten minutes having a coffee in a coffee shop, browsing in a local shop, or the freedom to drive anywhere for a day out. Many of us had sudden realisations that we had taken many things for granted. Things we didn’t do, now we are not allowed to do them, we regret not doing when we were able. We have seen the value in things that we took for granted. In the months ahead, what will you redeem, give value back to, that you had taken for granted before?
Personal - What will you redeem in your personal life? How can you give value back to that thing, person, or event? Perhaps you realise how much you miss seeing family, and you need to redeem that time, not just by meeting up again, but by being truly present when you are with them, or by showing genuine interest in the lives of your loved ones, when before you went through the motions. It will be easy to slip back into past behaviours, and to go through the motions again, so you will need to intentionally redeem these things of value.
Church - What will you redeem in your church life? What things had you lost sight of, that you knew in theory were valuable, but didn’t put that into practice? How will you redeem these things in the long term? For example, we have all missed meeting together, and we may ride the wave of ecstasy and celebration when we can first meet, but then other things are guaranteed to come up and fight for your priorities, maybe you need to make a long term commitment to redeem and value those things that were lost.
Remember
I feel like one of the dangers of the easing of lockdown is that we could slip back in to ‘normality’ - that the first week or two will be full of seeing friends and family, returning to our favourite destinations, and of course church activities. We look back at momentous occasions with great fondness, but sometimes we miss the significance of events when we are in them, or as a character from the US Office said in the finale ‘I wish we knew we was in the good ol’ days before we left them.’ That first family meet up, the first church service, the first hugs and laughter and meals, mark it, take photos, create new family traditions, remember.
We should also remember what many have lost during this last year, and although for many this will be a time of celebration, i’ve already seen the June 21st memes, there will be those who will simply be reminded of what they have lost. Keep an eye out for those people, check in on them, let them remember, and where necessary grieve with those who grieve as much as you plan to rejoice with those who rejoice.
Personal - What will you do to mark the significance of this new season? How will you mark it and make sure you never take family, friends or church for granted again? What have you learnt during the lockdown about yourself, your lifestyle and your faith? How can you remember these lessons as we enter a season of change, and what can you do to apply these lessons to your life in the weeks and months ahead?
Church - What are you looking forward to doing again with your church family? How will you ensure you remember the significance of the season ahead? Perhaps with journalling or marking first meet ups with Life group or close friends with a meal and taking communion together. Who do you know that will be reminded of their losses in the coming weeks and months, and how can you support them through this time?
Refine
Many aspects of what we did pre-lockdown will return, some will have a need to be redeemed (given its value and re-prioritised by ourselves) as discussed above, but some may need to be refined (not just viewed different, but literally changed to get back to the ‘why’ we do them). A year is a long time, and the world will be a different place post-COVID, much of that is outside of our control, but we still have some choices. It may be that technology has added value or changed the way you work, or lead your ministry, you may continue to follow the yearly patterns that you had before COVID, but the way in which you deliver that could change. Perhaps you realise that what you have been doing for the last few years is the right thing, but you have lost sight of why you do it. To get back to the ‘why,’ the way may need to change. The mission remains the same, but the method needs to change. If you’re married you may have had date nights before and during the last year, but realise that to truly redeem these valuable times you need to refine when and how often you do them. The same could be true for family times or friendships.
Personal - What in your personal life needs some refinement? Take some time to think about the things you want to refine, and remind yourself why you do them. Does what you do, fulfil why you do it? If yes, could you refine it to make it more effective? If no, what could you change so that the ‘why’ is met?
Church - What about your church life or ministry needs refinement? Take some time to think about the things you want to refine, and remind yourself why you do them, does what you do fulfil why you do it? If yes, could you refine it to make it more effective? If no, what could you change so that the ‘why’ is met?
Refuse
Now refuse might be the worst of the four ’re’ word but it keeps them all the same and as I walked and was thinking about writing this, I was reminded of the council leaflet that comes around titled ‘Refuse collections Diary’ and in it comes the dates for the different refuse collections, so when I say refuse I mean rubbish - what needs to go? Some of the answers to the above questions may lead you to ask yourself ‘why do I do this?’
Like many during lockdown we have done lots of sorting out, and in one of our son’s rooms is a pile of stuff ready to go to the charity shop or be gotten rid of in some other way. One particular t-shirt I added to the ‘get rid’ pile a month or so ago. This week I saw it and thought ‘do i really want to get rid of that?’ The truth is, that was a purely sentimental thought, it is two sizes too small for me, but I like the superheroes on the t-shirt, and at the time it was the only one left in the shop - hence two sizes too small. I sense the danger coming out of lockdown and entering ‘normality’ for many, is that the things we have thought about getting rid of, when we are back in our normal habits and routines we may end up keeping. An example from my own life is TV. Don’t get me wrong I still watch TV, enjoy it and see value in it, but I used to binge watch TV when I could. If you would have told me before March 2020 we were going to be stuck at home more and then asked ‘what do you think you’ll do?’ One of my responses would have been to catch up on some TV. But over the last year, I was thinking about my love for books. I did love reading, but it was not a regular discipline or practice in my life. So during 2020, I decided to watch less TV and read more. In 2020 I read 25 books, I felt quite pleased. In 2021, I’ve already read 8. I’m not saying this to boast, but instead to say I have chosen to get rid of the majority of my TV watching (I still watch 1 or 2 shows/films) and it has created space for greater fruitfulness.
We also need to be aware that during this last year we may have done or started some new things that simply won’t be possible in a post-lockdown world. We could find ourselves getting stuck if we don’t recognise that these things were seasonal, and if we don’t take the time to grieve these losses in our lives. I’m not going to be able to have lunch with all of my family every day as I have been able over lockdown. It’s ok to feel sad about these changes. We may not put these out to rubbish, but we may need to say goodbye to them, grieve and process the loss, so that we can ultimately be left with the good memories.
Personal - What have you ‘got rid of’ in your life in the last year? How will you ensure you don’t pick it back up going into the next season? Are there any bad habits you have picked up over the last year that you need to get rid of? Who will you share this with and be accountable to? What has been good during the lockdown that you won’t be able to do after? Have you taken time to process and grieve this change? If not, how can you? (you could share honestly with a friend about what you are worried about losing from this season)
Church - From a ministry perspective, church leaders and ministry leaders have many decisions to make in the coming weeks and months ahead. What are your thoughts on any ministries you lead? Are there some things you need to put out for collection (so to speak) so that you can pick up some of the things God has laid on your heart for the season ahead? Who will you share these thoughts with? What losses do you need to grieve? Take some time to pray for the change of the seasons. I just want to add, if you are a ministry leader and you feel this is time to stop what you are doing, don’t feel guilty, the Bible says that there is a season for everything, a time for every activity under the sun. Talk it through with your pastor or your church leader, it may be God has something new and exciting for you.
This has been a difficult year, and big change is coming. For some this is a massive relief, for others that is really scary and I think for most it is a mixture of the two. There will be many things to come that we won’t get a say in, many choices we cannot make, but there are many choices we can make, there are things we can do to prepare us for a time of change, and I hope the above is helpful in helping you reflect and identify the things you can choose in the weeks and months ahead.
Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash
Comments
Post a Comment