"Normalcy"
My class today was reflecting on the concept of “normalcy” as part of a discussion about developmental levels of character organization. (I know, it sounds pretty boring when I put it that way, but it really was a good class.)
But let me see if I can make it sound less academic. What is “normal?” How would you define it? What does it mean to live a normal life? And what should the “normal Christian life” look like?
So many questions and not a lot of answers. There’s a sense in which “normal” is defined socially, isn’t there? If we’re like most people we must be normal. But that can’t be a complete answer. What about totalitarian cultures where religion is banned? Where people are treated cruelly? Are those behaviors normal just because enough people engage in them?
One of my favorite scriptures is Micah 6:8, where the Lord instructs us that all he requires of us is to “love mercy, do justice, and walk humbly with God.” I love that verse. I think that’s what the normal Christian life looks like. It’s living a Kingdom life.
One of my old seminary professors used to say that being like Jesus is just doing the next right thing. Nothing flashy. Not even hard. Love mercy, do justice, and walk humbly with God. My problem is I like to think of my life in terms of achievements and major events. But what Micah is talking about are routines. They are the things that define a lifetime.
Twenty years from now, achievements will mean little. How many degrees I have or how well known I am will not be remembered. But if I love mercy, do justice, and walk humbly with God, the people I encounter may be different—and our world may be changed.
If you’re interested in learning how to engage with people on a different level, let’s talk…
About the author, Jeff Terrell
