A NEW DEFINITION FOR NORMAL

In my previous blog post (February 27 ~ DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHAT “NORMAL” IS?) I began exploring the theme of “normal.” As a reminder, the definition of “normal” from dictionary.com: “conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.” I have a friend who told me, in a flash of TMI, that he is so irregular he’s regular. Thank you for sharing! In an odd way (very odd, I know), I believe it’s possible that there’s a new normal in life that’s so irregular it’s becoming the new regular. To use a word picture, life used to be like floating on a wooden raft in the middle of a tranquil pond. A person could bask in the sun and just float along with the gentle breezes. Those were the days! Today life is like being on a river and navigating a class 5 rapid at flood stage. Hold on, baby, or you’re going to get pitched into the rushing water.

Several years ago I came across a phrase used to describe the rate of change occurring in our world today: “discontinuous change.” Here’s a definition of this phrase from businessdictionary.com: “Non-incremental, sudden change that threatens existing or traditional authority or power structure, because it drastically alters the way things are currently done or have been done for years.” Given the changes in our world, and the rapid rate of change, I believe it’s possible that “normal” is being redefined. We may not like the “new normal” in our world but that’s not to diminish its influence and impact in our daily lives. If we fail to understand what the “new normal” looks like in our lives, we will find ourselves searching for a place which doesn’t exist. Our desire for things to “get back to normal” will never be realized, because the place we want to go back to only exists in our memories. At first this may sound like a totally depressing thought, but that’s only if you assume the “new normal” is going to be negative. 

The key survival skill in a world of discontinuous change is CONTENTMENT. The Apostle Paul understood the importance of being content. In Philippians 4:11 (NIV) he writes, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Paul’s outlook on life wasn’t dependent upon things getting to a place of “normal.” In the next verse he refers to this skill he’s learned as “the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (NIV) Sometimes our desire for things to be different, and for life to get back to normal, is robbing us of peace in the present. God may be in the process of leading you into a new normal.

To be continued in my next post…