Normal (or as my Aussie friends say, "Naa-mal")... a word that implies 'usual', 'same', perhaps 'boring'? Definitely not a word that screams 'out there' or 'different' or 'what's next?' Seriously, do you want to be normal, in the sense that normal means 'the same as always', 'vanilla', 'ordinary? Whatever happened to wanting to be, oh, 'rocky road fudge marble swirl'! Now THAT'S something... well, NOT normal...
Paul. Jesus. Peter. Some of the New Testament 'not normal' people. Paul, who persecuted Christians, came to know Jesus by being blinded on a roadway, frequented prison cells, boldly spoke even when warned not to, and even managed to write a lot of books. Peter, who mouthed off a lot, had his ear cut off, told everyone who would listen that he did not know Jesus, and then turned around and preached one of the most amazing sermons. And then there's Jesus... definitely not someone cut out of the purple cloth of the priests from the Old Testament! His mother was a pregnant teenager, who gave birth to Him in a stable. He ran away at age 12 and frequented the temple. He claimed, not Joseph, but God as His father. He spoke heresy, or at least what the priests of the time called heresy. He fought against the society of the time by using kindness, love, and a gentle spirit. He healed people on the Sabbath, befriended sinners and people of questionable repute, and enlisted fishermen and a tax collector as His closest followers. He died, but even then, He couldn't do what everyone else did; instead, He rose from the dead, came back to speak with His followers, and then went up to heaven in a cloud. I mean, really... how 'normal' is that!
These men, among MANY others, show us that being 'run of the mill' is not necessarily a prerequisite to greatness in God's eyes. Being 'normal' is often not much fun, usually doesn't lend itself to the adventure in everyday life, and just kind of sucks the very life out of everyday life. And as believers, we ought not to be 'normal' - it's Biblical:
1 Peter 2:9
You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar (special) people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.One version, instead of using "special", uses the word "peculiar" - I love that! For if we are believers in Jesus, then we are not 'normal'; that is, we have something different, something life-changing, something worth shouting about. This makes us peculiar to some, to those who don't believe. It makes us much like some of the characters we find in our Bible - and that's a good thing.
Thank God for normal, but also thank God for 'not normal' - personally, I like being not-so-normal when it comes to my faith. Think what can happen in our lives and in our churches, when we not-so-normal people band together and do God's work in this world - a whole bunch of normal just isn't going to happen! And that, my friends, is not a bad thing at all...
Let's pray:
God, thank you for who you are, and for giving us life. Help us to be what you want us to be; if that is a little less than normal, as the world considers normal, then so be it - we are in good company at least. Thank you for loving us and using us, and for being there for us.
Amen.
