Bountiful
Blessings
January
6, 2013
Wow, another year has passed. First
blessing of the year. Whoop. Whoop. Yep, time goes by fast, doesn’t it? We
watch loved ones getting older. We watch our children grow up. And then, it is
like, bam, realization hits. Its not just them getting older. Haha. When did I
get so old?? Well, all I can say is that each age feels great. God gives us
something wonderful to treasure in all stages of our lives. From the excitement
of toys to finding our own way to grandchildren to retirement, you just got to
find that joy. Its there. J Whoops, that is not what I wanted to
talk about this week. I get a little scatterbrained. (No comment needed). Nope,
my mind is on “being normal”. I understand that you are most likely scratching
your head wondering where I am going with this but it has been pressing on my
heart.
“Being normal” - what exactly does
that mean? Society has imposed standards that we judge others by. (Judge may
not be the correct word…. Or is it?) Where does society come up with these
standards? Sixty years ago, it was “normal” for blacks and whites to drink out
of separate fountains. (How could this have ever been considered
“normal”???!!!) Fifty years ago, it was “normal” for women to stay home, cook,
clean, get an allowance and take care of Daddy. (Allowance, my foot, and Daddy
can take care of himself.) But normal can be small things as well. When I was
growing up, only the servicemen and the rough crowds had tattoos. Hmph. That
has changed a little, hasn’t it? When I was growing up, it was still a shocking
event for an unwed young lady to have a child. Ok, so when I was growing up, I
had to walk ten miles through the snow to school. I know that is about how
ridiculous some of this sounds. But the thing is,… its true. Times change. What
is considered normal changes. So why? Why do we do it? Why do we decide what is
and is not normal? I have two special people in my life who march to their own
drum. Always have. Both brilliant. Both good. But both different. I have
always encouraged them to seek their own path. To find their own way. And then
sometimes I worry about them. I wish that they were more “normal”. Do you know
how wrong that is of me??? But I do it out of love. Because I want them to “fit
in”, “to be part of the crowd”. Why??? Einstein was considered “different”.
Galileo was considered “different”. Because they did not fit the “normal”
characteristics. They did not fit in with the crowd. Maybe being different
means that you have more to offer. Maybe it means that you have something
special. But are we not a little afraid of that something special in others?
Have you ever run across a mentally challenged child whose face lit up with joy
and instead of being drawn to his face, it made you a little nervous. Or that man
at work who was so smart that you deemed him unsocial and a geek. What about
the lady who volunteers and always has a kind word for everyone? Did you
secretly think that she was “too nice” and figure that she was fake? Hmmm…. Do
any of these sound familiar? These people may not have met our description of
“being normal”. What is normal today may not be normal twenty years from now.
And really, those special people may still have been different if they were
born fifty years ago or twenty years from now. We tell our children to “just be
yourself” but then we panic when they are not the same as everyone else. Seems
to me that we are the ones in the wrong.
My child is special. There is not a
“normal” thing about her. She thinks cursing is disrespecting God. She is
saving herself for the right man (and marriage, believe it or not). She likes
British television and hates football. She would rather sit at home with her
cats than go out clubbing with friends. She would rather have six quality
friends than sixty casual friends. She likes to work on organizing her life
into spreadsheets. (Yep, you read that right). She is smart. She is kind and
thoughtful. She is always late and she will definitely tell you how she feels.
She would rather throw on an old sweatshirt than a brand name and bless her
heart, she asked for all kinds of toys for Christmas (did I mention that she is
25?) She is a fantastic worker and loves her job. She has PTSD and suffers
greatly at the thought of an upcoming storm. Different? Oh absolutely. Might
you even considered her a little weird? Maybe. That is on you. You don’t know
what you are missing. She is 100% God’s creation…. and my inspiration.
Prayer
for the week:
Dear
Lord,
Please
help us to recognize and appreciate the differences in each other. You made
each of us special from our hair color to our personalities. You wanted us to
be unique, to be ourselves or you would have created us as one. We are doing
you an injustice by conforming to man. Help us to remember that it is you who
we serve, your opinion that matters. We love you. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
Thought
for the week:
Be
true to yourself. Be true to God. Who cares about “normal”???!!!
Bible
Verse for the week:
He
has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To
act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8
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