"Facing the New With Your Normal!"

Normal is defined as 'the usual, typical or an expected standard.' 

When we hear people talk about a "New Normal" they are basically referring to the fact that something around us has changed, and that change may have a lasting or permanent affect.  Those changes can be financial, socially or even in physical areas. When that happens, we need to be able to adjust if we want to survive.  Covid19 has made that kind of an impact.  Social distancing, financial strains and the fear of sickness or death has made many look for a new normal.  

NEW TO  YOUR NORMAL

Life holds drama.  We have become accustomed to seeing what happens in life, and we adjust ourselves to fit it.  If things happen that are out of our control, most try to make practical changes that can help us to cope; if we don't we may find that we are always victims to circumstances.  As I was thinking and considering this New Normal, it felt a little backwards to me as a believer.  Why should we have to adjust to everything that happens?  Yes, I understand that things change, and sometimes it throws us.  Even as believers if we want to make it, we will have to do something, but what if we built ourselves up to the point that things had to adjust to us?  Sounds far fetched?  Keep reading...

YOUR NORMAL TO THE NEW 

What if instead of adjusting to everything new, we learn how to handle the NEW with our NORMAL?   What that looks like is, in every situation that we find ourselves in, we learn how to bring our normal to it.  The only way that is beneficial to us, is that our normal is always able to handle the new in a positive way.   If our normal is knowing that God is with us through any circumstance, if our normal is  being able to see the good in people, and trust God's plan even when we don't see the good, if our normal is to live content in every state, knowing that our security is not in the things that are seen, but in the things that are not seen.  If our normal is the ability to pray,  and seek what benefits everybody involved without taking things personally...  If we truly know that our life is in God's hand and we don't have to fear death, but don't have to tempt it either, if this is the mindset of our NORMAL we can deal with  every NEW. 

NEW NORMAL

To embrace this NORMAL requires a level of maturity that we actually have to grow into.  It is not easy dealing with relationship hurts and not falling into the "norm" to cope.  It is hard to have financial fears and not try to find short cuts to overcome them.  It is not easy to be hurt by people you trust, and still trust folks!  Just because it is not easy does not make it impossible.  We may not all be there right now, but we should seek to grow to the point that God's word and what He says about our responses to life is our NORMAL.

   

I encourage you to have a set standard ahead of time that tells you how you will deal with situations and how you deal with people.  That standard is given in God's word, we should study it for ourselves and develop guidelines instead of waiting for someone to preach it before we decide to do it. 

If you feel fearful, or anxious when things don't pan out the way you thought...find your NORMAL spot.  Find the peace that God promises, and find the 'God triggers' you need that will remind you that He's got you! God is still in control, He still has a plan for you, and you are not forgotten in the midst of all of this.  I pray that during this time, your NORMAL- 'your usual, typical and expected standard'  response will be one that is full of faith, one that God enforces, and one you will use to rise and conquer all the NEW things in your life!