One of the many weapons in the devil’s arsenal is busyness. Life moves at the speed of sound, especially in the 21st century when technology blasts happenings on the other side of the world into our homes in a matter of minutes. Information comes so quickly that it seems there is not enough time to process one event before the next emergency hits. Even if there are not any significant incidents, the media can easily produce one. The bottom line? We don’t take time to evaluate the weightier questions of life like, “How are we supposed to live?”
This unique season has provided most of us with an opportunity to slow down. Personally, I have enjoyed the extra time with my children as they have been on the go less and at home more—as have I. We have tried to be intentional with our evenings, engaging more with one another as well as doing several educational classes as a family. While virtual church lacks the intimacy and “biblicalness” of the assembling of the brethren, it has served to open opportunities for our family to talk at a deep level, discussing various points of the messages we have just watched.
Now that individual states are starting to open back up, the big question on my mind is, “What are we going to do next?” Will we pick right back up with the speed of pre-Coronavirus life or will we make different choices, based on what the lock-down season has taught us? What will that look like? How will we share these changes with our children?
It is a real temptation to do parenthood by default, allowing others to make lifestyle choices for us. While few might not come to full admission, public school parents have their calendars and many lifestyles choices dictated by the public-school system. It is what it is. I have no doubt that some parents take a certain amount of security from doing what everyone else is doing, but that doesn’t mean it is the best or most biblical way to live. Others are saddened by this reality but soothe their ache by believing this is their only realistic alternative.
Those of us who homeschool, on the other hand, have the freedom to choose our lifestyles. We love the fact that we set our schedule according to our priorities and values and do not have someone else’s agenda thrust upon us. We can vacation in September when the temperature and crowds are both lower and continue some type of schooling in the summer, so we don’t have to start all over again in the fall, if we so choose. However, with great power comes great responsibility. We have the potential for wonderful opportunities or saddening waste. If we don’t accomplish the former, we are left with the latter. We can’t blame the public schools, only our lack of vision and discipline. There are no excuses.
I have often told my children that come game time, it is too late to prepare. Similarly, I have shared with them that if their minds are not made up before temptation hits, they will choose the low road nine out of ten times. We must live life intentionally. The time to decide our post-Coronavirus lifestyles is now. Share what benefits this season have demonstrated with one another. Have siblings grown closer together? Has the family played more together than in the past? Have they shown teamwork in getting projects done around the house? How about technology? Has it lost the hold it had over the family two months ago? If you answer, “Yes!” to any of these, what are you willing to do to keep this trajectory going as we return to some normality of routine?
God brings change points into the lives of His creation as a occasion of contemplation and evaluation. These usually come in the form of some type of contrast, experiencing a difference in the way we were living previously. With all the bad that has come from Coronavirus, consideration of our lifestyles is one of the best things it has brought. If you feel you have wasted this season in nothingness, I have wonderful news for you. You can use this lesson to think about what is going to happen in your family next and make necessary changes. The result might be a trajectory of beauty that will bless your family until your children leave home.
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