As various areas are reopening after the pandemic, some people are talking about “returning to normal.” In this episode, Gary and Christy discuss this topic in general as well as in the context of personal finance.

• There’s the irresistibility of returning to normal. Even if “normal” isn’t very good, because it’s familiar, it can seem very appealing to return to. The Israelites, during their Exodus from Egypt, repeatedly mentioned returning to normal, which to them would be going back to a life of oppression.
• There’s the impossibility of returning to normal. There’s a saying, “You can never go back.” The Bible encourages us to forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead.
• There’s the opportunity of a new normal. John Wooden said, “Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.” How can we make the best of this situation to influence a better normal than what existed pre-COVID?