The Bible asks the question in Jeremiah 13:23, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil” Change is inevitable. That is one of the great consistencies of the universe, things are constantly changing. It is true that there some things that do not change such as race and ethnicity but there are some things that do change such as the things that we do and say. When I was growing up things were definitely different than what they are today and as I grow older things continue to change. I am sure that everyone is aware of all of the changes that are coming about as the result of dealing with the COVID-19 virus and how it is effecting the world around us. How much will things change? Well, that is still left to be seen. We may not be certain how much things are going to change but we can be assured that things will change as we move into new ways of doing life. From my perspective there will be a lot of negative things that we will be made to do in the interest of health that will be totally inconvenient but there will also be some positive things that we can rejoice over. I recently asked the question on one of the social media sites, “What is something good that you have re-discovered during this pandemic.” Some of the answers that I got were fantastic and very hopeful. There were a lot of people that said that they had re-discovered their families. There were people that felt that they had gotten so busy with life that they had virtually lost connection with their spouse and children. Because of the pandemic they were forced to stay home and had gotten to re-connect with their families and had been given the opportunity to get know them on a more intimate level. I have been told by some that they and or their children have been excelling in their academic life. They had come to realize how little they needed the classroom and how much better their children were doing with their studies in the quiet of their home. I have heard college students ask why they were spending so much money on college classes when all that they really needed was someone to point them to the things that they needed to study online. Though there are certainly a lot of things that are going on that are bad about this pandemic it is always great to know that there are those that have re-discovered their faith. Many have told me that they have not only rekindled their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ but they have also re-connected with their churches. They are praying more, studying their Bible more and watching sermons online but most importantly they are feeling that Jesus is present in the midst of their circumstances. It is great to see God working in the hearts of people during this time of extreme uncertainty. I have heard people say that they are spending less money and some are actually saving. They are staying home with their families more and eating at the kitchen table. They are eating healthier and better tasting foods. People are spending more time working around the house, going for walks and teaching their young ones how to do things with their hands. Men are playing ball and board games with their children. People are re-discovering their country and the importance of fighting for their rights and leaving a free country for their children and grandchildren. The re-discovery of things that I consider to be far more important than running the rat race are on the rise and I think that is great. But, are things really changing around us? Well, I don’t know. I do believe that we are currently at a point where people are beginning to re-evaluate their lives and focus on the things that are most important to them. I believe that there is a chance that the family has an opportunity for survival and is in a position to be strengthened. I see an opportunity for us to rescue our country from the insanity that has been going on in our leadership but, the question is, are we really experiencing change? I have met people, many people down through the years that have known beyond a shadow of a doubt that the destructive things that they were doing in their lives were not only not good for them but they were not good for their families either. They see clearly a need to change and forge a better life for themselves and the ones that they love but the sad thing is that when they are afforded the chance they simply pass it up and continue as they always have while making excuses for their destructive behavior. We as Americans are at that point now. I sincerely believe that we can see the changes that need to be made to make our lives better but will we do it? Will we make changes for the better and build a stronger faith and a better society or will we be like the Ethiopian or the leopard? Will we make changes for the positive or will we simply go back to the way things were, back to normal. I don’t know what will happen but what I do know is that we definitely need to make some changes for the better.