by Tom Sine
Dr. Laurie Santos, a Psychology professor, reflecting on our emergence from this very disruptive pandemic, stated in the New York Times, “‘We’ve all just changed our routines so much’, she said. ‘I think many of us have realized during the pandemic that some of the things we were doing before COVID -19 weren’t the kind of things leading to flourishing in our lives.’”
“With vaccination rates on the rise, hope is in the air. But after a year of trauma, isolation and grief, how long will it take before life finally… feels good?” Let’s explore how we, as people of faith, can join those who are not only moving from languishing to flourishing… but also discover a much more vital faith. A faith that is also committed to enabling many of our struggling neighbors to flourish as well in our new post-pandemic society.
“End of Pandemic Can Be a Restart for Your Life.”
In 2020s Foresight: Three Vital Practices for Thriving in a Decade of Accelerating Change, Dwight Friesen and I show Christian leaders both how to anticipate the new challenges facing us and our neighbors. We also show that giving in many denominations, including Episcopal churches, is declining. Most importantly we show Christians a host of innovative ways to respond to these new challenges.
Many of our neighbors are facing a historic number of evictions. Many unemployed families are having trouble keeping their kids fed. A huge number of black and Latino young people can’t afford to go to attend a community college or be able to purchase a lap top for school.
“Studies show that moments of disruption offer an opportunity to set and achieve new goals.” The good news is the ending of the pandemic is a great opportunity for people of faith to leave our struggling lives of “lock downs”, to join those who are creating a new normal, and to use this welcomed change to create their best lives! For Episcopalians, this is an opportunity to join others in empowering their neighbors that are still being hammered by the ongoing pandemic recession.