The question to us then is simple: Will a season of enforced remote work and online fellowship lead us to become people who spiral down into disconnection and increasing self-focus or will it spur us to long to be with others in every way we can and do much more than small talk however we connect? Will we use text and video now to foster fellowship we might otherwise have ignored or been too busy to invest in?
I’m assuming, at this point, that the COVID 19 pandemic will be like 9/11: the details of living through it will be forever imprinted in our memories and the very way we do life will be altered. Obviously, our chief concern right now needs to be loving our neighbors by washing our hands, keeping physical distance from others and such, as well as running to our Lord with the anxieties that weigh on our hearts.
But I think it’s also a good moment to look down the road a bit at some likely changes to our world and let that knowledge impact the way we live today. Specifically, I suspect that our use of video communication and other forms of digital interaction, both for work and for engaging with family and friends, will never be the same. Once forced to work from home, employees will want to keep some of the benefits of the flexibility it offers (and will notice that sometimes remote work is actually more productive with no one dropping by your cubicle) and church members will want to keep the option of attending services, in bathrobes, from the couch. On the other hand, once cut off from gathering as a church, dining out with friends, and the stop-to-chat-in-the-hallway conversations with co-workers, people will appreciate just how much it really does matter to be physically face to face.
If any of that is true, I hope it will produce healthy debates about the dangers of living in an increasingly virtual world versus the opportunities to serve and love others in the name of Christ far and wide through technology, the inherent value of being in the presence of others, etc. There is, however, a very important core theme I believe we need to grapple with right now.
