How to be normal

My son, the prison Chaplain, had a post on Facebook today which revealed "Four Simple Steps to Get You Back to Normal."  When I saw that, I immediately thought this must be a devotional article where I could find something to use in my daily writing. 

Closer examination showed me he was packing his daughter's laptop to go in for repairs.  It had to be packed just as they instructed and those printed instructions indicated the four step process of packing would make things easy or normal. 

Do we seek normalcy?  By what or whose standards do we measure normal.  I find myself looking at the successes of someone else and wondering what it's like to be normal, like him.  More than likely in the weakness of that person's life he is wondering if his life will ever be normal, too.  Do Christians ever get to the point where they "have it all together?"

Remember in the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus was mentioning the sparrows and how God takes care of them?  He also discusses the flowers in the fields and says they surpass the splendor of Solomon. Even something as insignificant as grass is clothed by God.  Jesus was leading toward the power punch in his message when he said, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  When I read that in my Bible it gives me the assurance that as I am seeking and putting God's righteousness and his kingdom first in my life, he is going to take care of the rest.

I mention that verse and its associated illustrations to let you know this section of scripture on the subject of worry, shows us God's way of dealing with worries in our lives.  And the next thing we need to consider is when we are motivated in life to be a constant worrier, it's a sure sign we are not seeking God's kingdom and God's righteousness first. 

In our insecurities we quickly note it is not an easy thing to turn ourselves completely over to God.  In fact, we are prone to believe when we do that we lose our individuality. The closer I look at that, I learn just the opposite is true.  That's when we find ourselves and become the person God created us to be. 

The basic need of every living human is learning when we make all the decisions, trying to control every situation our way, we rob ourselves of the greatest power available, the power of the Holy Spirit living in us.  He leads, he directs, he comforts, he empowers.  We can only experience that when we turn it over to God.....even our lack of normalcy.  Maybe there is better understanding in the words of the song, "Have thine own way, Lord, Have thine own way.  Thou art the potter, I am the clay.  Mold me and make me, after thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still."

So I hope my son can find normalcy in his life by correctly packing the laptop to be shipped and fixed. And I hope my granddaughter finds normalcy when the fixed laptop returns. I am really hoping we can all learn to turn all of our "less than normal" situations to God.  Seek him and his 

righteousness.

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