We’re finally figuring out what ‘living with covid’ or ‘living in a post-covid world’ means. For some, this is a welcome relief. For others, life is still fraught with concerns. Perhaps the greatest of these is the strain that recent years have put on our relationships. Have we taken the time to take stock of our responses to those closest to us over covid?
We wish we had handled the last three years better, but we’re not sure what we could have done differently. How many of us entered the lockdowns fully intending to use the ‘extra time’ for spiritual disciplines and family growth, only to watch it drain into Netflix binging?
How many of our desires to serve and care for one another faded to tired resentment? Maybe we alienated friends and family with our views on all things covid. We meant to start well, but now? Now we’re not entirely sure what to do.
Maybe it’s time for some post-covid repentance. In the home. In the workplace. Definitely in the church.
How many solid Christian friendships – friendships that we previously valued – did we lose or drive away solely over differences on how to approach covid? How many relationships did we permanently mar as a result of conflicts during the last several years?
Issues such as how closely to follow track-and-trace in church, how often to test, and whether or not to vaccinate all became battlegrounds. We lost friends over covid, and we can’t say it was just their fault.
