New Normal

Without even thinking, most of us have conformed to a certain way of living and acting because of the family and cultural contexts around us. To some degree this is unstoppable. None of us exist in a vacuum. We are all shaped by our contexts and web of relationships and much of this is really good. 

With that said, at some point it’s important for us to consider how we may have adopted some ways of thinking and acting that need to change. This thought does not occur to most people. Most people spend their whole lives simply assuming the way they live and think is perfectly normal or correct. 

But what if there are some things we consider “normal” that are actually unethical or inhumane? What if we are succeeding in things that don’t really matter simply because our culture says it matters? What if we are limiting ourselves and our un

ique callings because we’ve spent most of our time trying to ”fit in” with the context around us? 

At one point in time, child sacrifice was normal. Slavery and segregation were normal. A few people were able to step outside their context, and realize that these things were indeed evil, but most people missed it.

This begs the question: where am I missing it? What are some ways of thinking and acting that are considered normal, but that I know are unhealthy or unethical? Is there a unique calling that God is asking me to follow that I’m ignoring because it will make me too different? These are hard questions at first. But they can eventually lead to a much more faithful and liberating way of living.

Here are some examples:

Simplicity—in the U.S. it is perfectly normal to accumulate lots of stuff and spend most of your money on yourself. We then spend most of our time taking care of this stuff and making more money to get this stuff. We could choose instead to own less, to simplify our lives, and to give more away. This would allow more time for what matters most and in the process make us more generous.

Second example…

Words—in our culture we are very quick to criticize and demonize others. It’s normal for us to demean someone in customer service. It’s normal for us to yell at coaches and boo referees. It’s normal for us to be judgmental toward people who are different from us. This is normal, but not right. We could choose instead to speak less and listen more. We could choose to criticize less and encourage more. We could offer forgiveness and grace and mercy toward others on a regular basis.

I think God has much more to show us and teach us. I believe he has more wisdom he wants to pour into our families. But it starts with a posture of humility: a willingness to change and learn and grow. Even if it makes us less “normal” in the process.

Brandon