There are so many different views of normal. One mother goes to work every day and says having children shouldn't stop her from being all she can be in the working world, like kids are a side job. Then there is another mother, who stays at home, even though her kids are in high school now and don't need things toddlers need. She says being a mother is first priority, and once you have children they should be your only concern, that is when your career should end. Both women think the other is wrong, they think their way of life is right...is normal. And there are so many sub normals with in the normals. The stay-at-home mom, does she quit the moment she finds out she is pregnant, or just when maternity leave comes? What about going back to work? Does she never, or once the kids are in school, or after they have gradauted? The working mom...does she put them in day care? If so how long after, days, weeks, months, or years? When do you quit? Once you are a grandma, or wait until your body is just too worn out to go another day?
Every person in every one of these positions says there way of life is normal. One person sees me, I spend countless hours volunteering in the community, and says why am I spending so much time tending to others needs when I have my own. Another person would see me and say to me that they wish they were more like me, and commend me for my hard work. And yet others, seeing what I don't do, would say I am lazy, and should be doing more. When some one heard I was going to Peru last year, they asked me who I was touring with. I told them I was going with Focus on the Family, but it was a missionary trip not touring. They were appalled! "How stupid are you?!" They exclaimed. "I understand you want to see the world and learn all about it. But paying $3000 to go live in poor, dirty, unpleasant conditions and have to sweat and work your butt off for no pay. That's just a waste of time and stupid waste of money!" They tried to talk me out of it bringing up points that I should be out there living life to the fullest. Swimming in the sea, seeing the ancient castles, eating the best food, shopping in the most famous malls. I have done those things, and they are fun but have more downs than ups. Swim in the sea, it's cold! Ancient castles, big scary oh yeah and cold! Eating best food, I get fat! Shopping in famous malls, I lose all my money on one cheesy trinket! When I toured Europe I was miserable, wishing I was there on a missions trip to help all the hurting people I saw. All touring did for me was show me that I never want to "waste" my money on seeing old buildings and art that will have no effect on lives of others and my own. But she thought it would have a more positive effect on my life than being around a bunch of poor people.
To me her statement is weird, to her it's normal. To her my way of life is weird, I say it's normal!
Reminds me of our fez last year, Long. He saw a kid eating a hot dog and was disgusted. He screamed "No no no! Don't put it in your mouth! Why, why would you do that?! Why!!!!" While I tend to agree with him...he once asked why our school kitchen doesn't serve opticals. "Glasses?" We thought. But he explained in his homeland of Vietnam, animal eyes are a come part of a meal. We all had near the same reaction as he had to hot dogs. And he was just as baffled as we were to his disgust over hot dogs. Hot dogs are normal to us, eyes are normal to him.
If there were a rule book to life (besides the bible) that listed out every single situation and said what is normal, and what is weird, I may be the weirdest person on earth, but to me...I am normal! But the thing is, God created us all different for a reason, and being that we are all different, we all have different views of normal. I think that is why God didn't write a book saying who was right in every situation. He gave us what we need to live in harmony with each other. He gave us love, joy, peace, patience, faith, gentleness, and self-control. There are only 10 true normals(who's right in this situation) that he gives us. Even those are there to help us live in harmony.
God made us stones, we only can fit in certain spots that he has formed us to fit into. Not bricks, every one like the other one, not making a difference which goes where. That would mean none of us are special to Him, it would make us boring!
So when I hear people say they wanna be normal, or just want to live a normal life, I say sorry hun, it's never gonna happen! No human being will ever be normal. I never want to be normal, cuz that would make me very weird!
1 comment:
Obviously the different points of view when it comes to normal depend on who your master is....who do you serve? Because as a christian...our Lord says that we will be persecuted because of him. We don't fit in this world...nor should we. We serve a God who sets us apart from the world. Anyone who is doing the will of God will most certainly appear to be abnormal to anyone who doesn't. I was told a long time ago by my mother to expect non-christians to act like non-christians...and not to expect them to understand why we do what we do, or understand what we believe. I have thought about the topic you wrote on many times in my life, and have wrote about it myself. Keep doing what your doing...to me...and I am no one but a simple servant of Jesus...you are doing just what Christ commands us....which makes you not normal in the worlds eyes. That is what I still strive for myself...to be "different" in the eyes of the world. Being set apart from this world and the master they serve. I admire your enthusiasm in serving others...and encourage you to keep up your goal of changing the world however God gives you the opportunity.
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