What Coronavirus Has Not Changed

We’ve all talked about it…how this virus has changed our lives, and changed the world we live in. Most of us have said it, and we’ve all heard it dozens of times, “I just want this to be over.” And we’ve had the conversations about whether or not it ever will be over, or if life has changed in many ways, forever.But there are some things that have not changed, and will not change. Those are the things that matter most.

1. People cannot live without God. We are absolutely, 100% dependent on him. That was true before the virus, but in our modern era, too many have become convinced that they do not need him. However, just as he created us in the first place, along with our necessary environment that sustains us (with oxygen, heat, water, food, etc., all in perfect harmonious balance), we need him just for life itself. Your heart would not beat and your lungs would not breathe if God did not will it to be so. Our lives are absolutely dependent on him.
2. People cannot thrive without God. You were created to do more than live. You were created to thrive. But you can only thrive when fulfilling your purpose…why you are alive. And why are you alive? Why did God create you? So that he could enjoy you, of course. He made you for him. Getting that figured out and living for that purpose is the only way to experience lasting joy and fulfillment. You were created for God, and not the other way around. He wants you to live, but he also wants you to thrive. Thrive by living for him.
3. People need each other. I believe the most devastating effect of COVID has been the crippling quarantines. I understand their necessity, but lasting this long has produced some horrible results. And I’m not talking about how it has affected the world economy. I’m talking about the results in people’s lives. Suicide, drug addiction and alcoholism, and mental health crises, are all on alarming increase. People were made to live in community and even the most introverted among us crave face-to-face human interaction. We were created that way. Being quarantined has not changed that. It has only underscored it. We need each other.
4. Death is not the end. I grieve for the 200,000 deaths by COVID in our country, this year so far, as well as those around the world. I also grieve for the 600,000+ deaths in the US due to heart disease, as well as a similar number of deaths due to cancer, etc. I grieved over the loss of life in our church these past couple of weeks. But before and after COVID, avoiding death has always been a losing battle. Death has always been inevitable, but it’s not the end. The soul lives on. And for those who are connected to God through Jesus, it’s only a portal to a new, better, and pain-free eternal life. COVID can’t change that. If anything, it has only drawn our attention to it.

We can spend these days lamenting the changes in our lives in recent months. Or we can redirect our attention to these four fundamental truths. Truths that should have dominated our thinking before Coronavirus, and remain completely unchanged in its aftermath.