But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. Galatians 5:22 (NKJV)

Okay, it's been … about a month. You're antsy. You're bored. You're sick to death of bingeing on shows that you never seriously considered watching until this mess happened. It's time! It's time to get back out there! There are things that need doing! Games to be played! Bowling balls that need to be … bowl'd! There are jobs that need going to! There are bills that need payed! Careers are being, if not out-right destroyed, damaged beyond all understanding of what it will take to get them back on track. The President and all those smart people, doctors, scientists, men and women in suits who got where they are by winning popularity contests, who all say that they have a plan. Plans are good, right?

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry!

Sure, there's light at the end of this tunnel. Things are looking—however slightly—up. We've reached the “peak” and—presumably—the number of new cases will begin to fall significantly in the coming weeks. Heck, there are even some areas of the country where there's been only the slightest of impacts. So, c'mon! I mean, isn't it time for things to get back to normal?

The fact is … we may not see what was viewed as “normal” before this coronavirus event hit … ever again … and I have absolutely no idea what that might look like. There might just be an emerging “new normal” that we will all have to adjust our very way of life to, and I really don't think, no matter how much you resist it, that you're gonna have a choice. You know what else? This is nothing new. Throughout our history things just like this have happened, and society had two choices: -Accept the change. -Die

I can think of countless examples of civilizations; the Toltecs, the Mayans, the Aztecs, Braves fans, who were face with an invisible enemy—disease—that was brought to them from a foreign land and completely devastated them. Yup, it wiped them out … literally. So, it really is time that we start taking this situation seriously, listen to the experts, and do what they tell us to do. Last week, I referenced 1 Peter 2:13:

Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority

I know what you're thinking:

We are a country that takes pride in our right to protest!

Believe me, I think that's great too! I mean, who doesn't want to be inconvenienced by throngs of people who are angry about something that we care, literally, nothing about, when we're trying to get to work … after the alarm doesn't go off … and we catch every … single … red .. light!

I'm all for that!

But, in this particular situation, I think that patience—and faith in the Lord—is the way to go.

And not only that, we also glory in tribulation, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5 (NKJV)

Today is the day. Now is the time. The battle is on!

G. J. Fortier is a member of Ironmen Ministries and First Baptist Church, Centerville, GA. Look for his novels on Amazon on Kindle and paperback. Or visit his website at www.GerardFortier.com