I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. Honest.
But when you’re at a baseball game sitting two feet behind a family with small children, sometimes you can’t help but catch a snippet or two of the conversation. And while the context of that conversation was totally innocent, there was one comment that got me thinking. Mom 1 said to Mom 2:
“…Don’t argue with him if he wants to be normal!”
It made me wonder: Is normal what we’re striving for? Is that enough?
Encouraging more than the status quo
We’re living in a noisy world filled with people striving to stand out, as so aptly pointed out by best-selling author and blogger Michael Hyatt in his new book, Platform
Consider it this way:
How many of us would be overjoyed with…and feel affirmed in the following situations?
- “Honey, how do I look?” (insert dress twirling) … ”Ummm…Normal!“
- “Mom, Look at my drawing!! I worked on it all day at school! Do you like it?” … “Awww, sweetie, …it’s normal.”
- “Sir, here is your job review for this quarter. We’ve decided that you are perfectly…normal.”
- “Welcome to our school! We’re so proud of the work we’re doing. We’re very normal.”
Why God wants more from us
- Because Christ gave all — he gave his whole self, his entire person — to redeem us. How can we respond by giving only a fraction of ourselves in return?
- Because Christ desires that we live an abundant life — not a “gettin’ by” kind of life. (John 10:10)
- The New Testament repeatedly talks about God creating us to do “good works,” (Eph. 2:10) and promises that “He who started a good work will be faithful to complete it.” (Phil 1:6). Would it, then, give glory to God to simply check the “satisfactory” box?
- We were created with unique, God-given gifts (I Cor 12). To use those gifts “adequately” or “marginally” would leave the Body weak in areas. God calls us to contribute our gifts with a cheerful heart, including and especially, the spiritual gifts he has appointed each one.
