Friday, March 13, 2020. Governor Kemp declared a public health emergency in Georgia. Citizens sheltered-in-place as the COVID pandemic raged.

Consumers hoarded disinfectants, paper towels, toilet paper, plastic gloves, and face masks. We learned new vocabulary like flatten the curve, personal protective equipment, essential workers, contact tracing, and Zoom meetings.

Non-essential businesses closed overnight. Churches cancelled activities for days that extended into weeks and months. We incorrectly assumed normalcy would return by Easter. Northside Church eventually resumed onsite worship the following fall.

The World Health Organization declared the pandemic’s end in May 2023. Approximately 1.2 million people died in the United States. Most of us lost family members or friends.

This week marks the fifth anniversary of Governor Kemp’s emergency declaration. A new normal governs post-pandemic culture. The medical profession treats COVID like the flu, inconvenient for most but life-threatening for some.   

The pandemic taught costly lessons about prioritizing family, friends, and faith. Major on the majors, and minor on the minors. Life’s fragility and brevity inspire a focus on the eternal and everlasting.  

 But . . . humans and societies soon forget. The world entices the five senses. The urgent demands attention and diminishes perspective. YOLO and FOMO inspire a focus on the temporal and passing.

March 13, 2025. Pause this week to give thanks for life’s many blessings. Pray for the wisdom to number our days.