Today, Tuesday, driving into Austin was probably a look at the new world we are becoming.
Before COVID-19, if I were going to Austin, I avoided I-35 as long as I could. I would often take another route because going into Austin and coming from Austin was guaranteed to raise my blood pressure and occasionally give me a “near death” experience.
However, since working from home is still the thing, traffic was very light. There were no slowdowns, no wrecks and basically no problem. It was the same coming home.
When I say the “new world we are becoming” I mean that certain industries have studied the productivity of their employees who work from home and seen there is little difference from those who commute in and back and those who work from home. I have talked with the middle son about how that could transform the culture of work as well as the overhead of companies and corporations. Certainly, not every job can be done from home, but many can. For those who can, it could mean huge savings for companies which have to spend enormous sums on space, parking utilities, etc. Working from home can help the company streamline and reduce overhead. It might even translate into higher salaries, and greater profits.
It is not all roses though, because if there are fewer people commuting, transportation costs may slowly come down as the cost of fuel, car payments, upkeep, insurance all make the adjustment. Even our transportation infrastructure might see less need to keep building highways, if we find other ways to work which do not necessitate driving to a location every day. Which may mean lost jobs as the economy adjust to the changes. It may just change the way we see our culture which generally is “always on the move.”
On the upside, walking from a room in the house to join the family is a far different scenario than a nerve racking drive home in bumper to bumper traffic only to have missed dinner and quality time with the family.
Like all change, this has created problems and opportunities. The problems seem to be with domestic violence and child abuse. Before covid teachers were on the front line of reporting child abuse. Now that line has been dissolved. As a result, it is assumed there are children who are being abused or neglected with no one to advocate or report for them. Spouses are also finding their mates may be increasingly abusive with the issues of staying closer to home, lost jobs, lost income, and the problems such real issues bring. Many families have no resiliency so when the least change happens, it sends them into a serious spiral. We are also seeing the limits of “teletherapy” in that children who need “play therapy” are unable to access that particular kind of therapy. It does not translate well across a computer screen.
On the positive side, healthy families are finding themselves spending more time together, and enjoying their lives for which they have worked so hard to achieve. I continue to enjoy the parade of parents and children out riding, walking, running in our neighborhood, and the kind of joy I see on the face of all in the family. Just this week as I was coming home from the store, I saw an Indian(I think) family out riding bicycles. The father was leading and attached to his bike was a smaller bike on which the youngest child was riding. Behind were two girls, and then the wife bringing up the parade. They were happy, and enjoying being outside. I don't know, but I would not be surprised if the father was involved in the tech sector, and was enjoying the extra time with his family. I have thought about taking the time to sit outside and just watch as my neighbors walk by, run by, ride by on their bikes. Saturday, while Tim was over Saturday afternoon, we saw a father drive by on some kind of cycle with two children behind on the mini-cycles. I smiled, Tim mentioned that was illegal. It is the different perspective of the grandfather and the policeman.
At Cityview, I am so proud of our church leadership because they have cautiously made deliberate steps that keep our congregation safe, and yet return to in-person worship when it is wise.
I am saddened by church members who feel an “obligation” to return to worship services at the church when it may not be safe because the pastor and staff are putting pressure on the congregation to get back together. I know this has been a point of contention between some churches who believe the governing authorities are depriving them of their 1st amendment rights, but I am reminded of the words of Jesus in John 4:24 when Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” While I believe in corporate worship and long for it, I know you can get together unwisely and be concerned all the while about your health, or watch from your living room focused on worship. We will get back to corporate worship, but leadership needs to be wise. Ours is.
So COVID is changing our world, or our nation at least. Perhaps it has helped make us grateful for the life that has been stopped or temporarily taken away. Perhaps it has made us think of others and how our decisions can harm a neighbor. Perhaps it has created a longing in the believer to return to worship. Perhaps it has helped us understand why getting together and worshiping God is so very vital to our life of faith. Perhaps it has taught us a renewed sense of the value of our family. Perhaps our relationship with our children have deepened in ways they would not have if this pandemic had not engulfed our world. Perhaps we will emerge from this time with a deeper appreciation for those who have risked much to keep us safe and well, and feel more kindly toward our neighbor. Perhaps our relationship with God has grown exponentially because in uncertain times, He is the certain One.
Time will tell what is temporary and what remains.
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