DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHAT "NORMAL" IS?

Before I begin today’s blog post, I feel like I need to offer a disclaimer, in the event I say something which may be used against me in the court of law, or any other place. I am emerging from a period of three months of extreme change, crazy work hours and intense stress. This last week I started sensing a shift was occurring in my life and the difference was dramatic. I started wondering whether my life was in the process of finding a new “normal.” As I woke up this morning, set to begin my second week post-shift, I started thinking about “normal.” As I reflected on my life (I have a birthday later this week, which may partially explain the reason for my reflecting), I came to an observation: I’ve been searching my whole life for “normal.” Throughout my life I have experienced periods of time, similar to my previous three months. During these times I tell myself that things will soon return to “normal.” I highly doubt that I’m the only one who has tried to encourage themselves in this way. Of course, we’re all still waiting for “normal.”

The dictionary.com definition of the word, NORMAL, is: "conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural." The origin of the word is from the Latin, normalis, which refers to something made “according to a carpenter’s square, equivalent to norm.” I don’t know about you, but my life is anything but “square.” There are so many twists and turns, starts and stops, and unexpected diversions, life never seems to fit into nice, clean squares. One of the first learning toys many children receive is one where they are given different shapes (i.e. square, rectangle, octagon, etc.) and then they have to place the shape in the proper space on a board. It’s a learning process to figure out the right shape for the right space. When a child first receives this toy, they will attempt to place a square shape into the octagonal space. They may make several attempts and even get frustrated because it doesn’t work out. I think most children eventually figure out what shape goes into what space, and then their parents give them an iPod. 

I don’t know about you but my life rarely seems to fit into nice “square” spaces. Things in life don’t always make sense, from a rational, logical and even spiritual perspective. My wife, Anita, was the first to share with me the tapestry illustration. Our lives are like a tapestry, which is a type of needlepoint. What we often see, from our perspective, are all the loose thread ends, knots, and a variety of colored threads arranged in a way which only faintly resembles anything. What God sees, from his perspective, is an array of vibrant multi-color threads intricately woven together to form a beautiful picture, a tapestry. 

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”  Ephesians 2:10 NLT

Over the new few posts I want to explore the meaning of “normal” in our lives. It may be one of those things in life we look for and never find, or it may be that our definition is flawed.