Going Back to School 2020 Style

This summer was different.

We knew it would be, because spring was different. We went through an unprecedented time in our world, in our country, and in our homes. The Covid-19 health pandemic has affected jobs, schools, business, public activity, churches, and our very way of life. It has also impacted our plans. Perhaps you had a big family trip on the calendar to fly some place this summer? Maybe you were thinking of staying local and doing day trips or a weekend jaunt? If you were planning a “staycation”—that may be the one plan that still happened!

In thinking about all that has happened, three things stand out:

· It has been hard. It has not been easy to make all the adjustments this pandemic has forced upon us. It has affected us emotionally, financially, physically, socially, and spiritually—with those items often intersecting, many at the same time. We have felt a toll in our lives.

· It has gone on longer than we thought. At first we were thinking it was only for a few weeks—then it stretched for over a month, then several months. We had hoped that when things “opened up” some of our burdens would be lifted. That may not be the case for many of us, as we don’t sense much of anything concluding and getting back to normal in the near future.

· We are tired. Because of the length of the quarantine, the restrictions we’ve experienced, the uncertainty of the future—our energy is low. We may feel a lack of motivation, especially in everyday matters. We might not even have the zest to return to school like we normally do, because we didn’t have a “normal” summer.

How do we address these concerns as they continue to visit and revisit us in these uncertain times? We go to a certain source—our certain God! He provides truth and words of assurance for these times and all times. Please consider that…

· God gives us strength. When we are depleted of physical and emotional energy and feel like we have nothing left—Christ our Lord lifts us, he renews us, and lifts our spirit like wings on eagles.

· God will not leave us nor forsake us. During those times when we feel lonely, afraid, or lost—we can be assured that God has not abandoned us, but that He will walk forward with us, always present in our lives.

· God will always love us. Jesus will love us with an everlasting love that doesn’t wear out, nor does it decrease toward us, even when we are not always loving. God’s love abounds and remains ever present in our lives of service in Christ Jesus.

While this summer of 2020 is one we might like to forget – it is likely that we will always remember it. Memories and references to the “summer of Covid,” are likely to continue for years to come.

As we now return to teaching, which may or may not be with children in front of us in a school building, we know that we can endure and forge forward. We can be light in a world of uncertainty, we can be about our mission of teaching students and pointing them and their families to Jesus.

Dr. Steve Christopher, Principal, Mt. Calvary, Diamond Bar, CA