I have reached the “even my comb has given up” level of quarantine, and it probably is not why you think. My hair has not become one big matted mess that my comb could not handle—although I am beginning to wonder if people see Forrest Gump [running across America] when they see me.

 

While conducting my daily grooming routine, my comb, which had clearly seen enough glory days, decided to call it quits. I vacillated between laughter and tears. I was trying to trick my mind into thinking things were normal, but even my comb knew the truth. You and I both know it was not about the broken comb. It was about the ever-changing challenges of this season.

The timing was on trend for 2020. Every effort takes more convincing and stamina than it did five or six weeks ago. Who can even keep track of what day it is without consulting a calendar or phone, and do we still care? My determination is waning, and I just want to go out for Torchy’s queso.

 

However, it seems this level of quarantine is teaching me one valuable lesson. 

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Education should not be the same when this is over.

Businesses should not be the same when this is over.

Relationships should not be the same when this is over.

Churches should not be the same when this is over.

 

You cannot replicate an exact classroom experience online and measure growth with grades.

You cannot stick to the same old business practices and yield the same results.

You cannot neglect the soil of relationships and harvest growth.

You cannot simply duplicate a Sunday service in a living room and fill a connection void.

 

Students will struggle.

Businesses will shrivel.

Relationships will stagnate.

Churches will suffer.

 

Needs have changed, so we must pay attention, and our practices in these arenas should adjust to the shifts. Brokenness and need are often the exact ingredients necessary to cultivate growth. This is the time.

 

If something has broken in or around you, look for a new pathway, strategy, or connection. Search for new ways to do old things. 

Let’s allow this season to teach and stretch us to be different and better in the next.

Alyssa ♥

P.S. If you missed the last Quarantine Chronicles post, you can read it here.