Normal is not a nice word. No one wants to be called normal. It carries with it the intimation of someone who is an underachiever. No, we want to be extraordinary, different, unique and otherwise special. The message communicated in so many current Christian books and often from the pulpits in America is the idea that once a person becomes a disciple of Jesus normalcy takes a backseat to a new kind of significance. This message resonates largely because every soul, regenerate or not, longs to do something that matters. The 9-5 and Taco Tuesday routine is fine for some, but we desire to have a destiny that is defined by a large historical footprint.
Significance versus…
The confusion and frankly, the disillusionment for so many in the church has been born out of a misunderstanding of the word significance. At one time significance meant living a life of meaning, depth, purpose and often an obscurity because people were happy to be overshadowed by a larger vision. But the new definition of significance carries with it an expectation of notoriety. The undercurrent of many seeking to do something important means doing something that will be noticed, applauded and rewarded by other people. Want to do something that will really make a difference? First create a website and make a viral video. Living in the shadows of God’s mission is over. There is a new normal in town and it’s called narcissism. Significance is now primarily measured in likes, re-shares and influence. But does this new normal carry with it the weight of true gospel significance? If significance means people must see it, what about when we do something valuable and no one sees it? Oh, just tweet it. Barf. Jesus says you just got your reward–a perishable reward of a slow clap.
What is supernatural normalcy?
This got me thinking, what is normal that Jesus is after? Or more specifically, what is a normal that is empowered by the Holy Spirit? If supernatural normal means a life of obscure faithfulness to my spouse, getting out of bed every morning as an encourager, working hard to provide for my family and coming home to the same woman for 50 years . . . I’ll take normal. If normal means staying in the same job for a lifetime in spite of a difficult boss and complaining co-workers because I know God put me in this work environment to be a bright light for the gospel . . . I’ll take normal. If normal means never really meeting the cultural expectations of wealth because I have chosen to give generously to the local church, the mission field and the poor and because of that I have won the battle over greed and avarice . . . I’ll take normal. If normal means my kids miss out a bit because they don’t play 6 sports every night of the week, but I will have them home in the most integral time of their life so that we can love and shape them by the grace of God . . . I’ll take normal. If normal means I stay in the same church for decades even though people hurt my feelings, my needs are not all met and the pastor isn’t a very good preacher, but because faithfulness to a faith family is what matters . . . Give me normal. If normal means never being on a big stage, never having celeb status, and never hearing people quote me, yet Jesus knows my name . . . that is the normal I want.
