in gratitude for normal

have you ever longed for things to be normal?
like maybe you were in a crazy situation, and you regretted the decisions that led to it and you wished that instead, things could
just be normal?

there have been times when someone I’ve loved was sick or in the hospital, or the car was broken, or there was major conflict, or a big bill in front of me; and I’ve said to myself, “I wish that this episode was over- or that it never began; and that things could
just be normal.”

sometimes I think to myself in those situations, “wouldn’t it just be awesome to just sit down for a meal with my family, and not have this issue to worry about?”
“wouldn’t it be wonderful to just roll into to work without this situation to explain or to have a conflict waiting for me?”
“wouldn’t today be so much better if things were
just normal?”
we take normal for granted don’t we?

I’ve been thinking about this because we narrowly avoided a major accident the other night. we were at a stoplight and the car was sitting behind another car, and sitting on the lightrail tracks- and I saw that the lightrail train was coming toward us. I made a quick decision and pulled the car into the next lane to pull around the car in front of me and get out of the way of the train- but I didn’t look first, another car was already in that lane, and coming in quick. it hit the brakes hard to avoid an accident with us and their brakes screeched really loud. if they hadn’t responded so quickly, their car would have hit the side of the car that both jane and deanna were sitting on. my heart was racing- it was hard to settle down.

I was laying in bed the next morning and thinking, “what if that car HAD hit us really hard? things would be very, very different today.” I wouldn’t be in my bed, I would probably be at the hospital with my wife and daughter. I wouldn’t be laying awake pondering things, I would be laying awake, regretting my decision to have jane sit on that side of the car, regretting my decision to pull out without looking first, regretting my decision to pull onto the tracks while at a red light, regretting my decision not to buy some kind of indestructible Volvo car…

I would be in communication with health insurance companies and car insurance companies and the other driver, and my friends, and my family, and my team down at the church and with God pleading with Him for them to be alright. I would be thinking about how we were going to get a new car- I would be thinking about everything, and I would be feeling sad and sorry and stupid. and I would probably give anything to turn back time, re-think those decisions, and for everything to
just be normal.
normal would be heaven in that moment.

but none of those things happened at all. I wasn’t in the hospital- I was in my warm bed. I could hear my wife sleeping soundly. my baby-girl was cozy in her bed without a care in the world.
things were just normal-
and I wasn’t going to take it for granted-
I was grateful for it.
that morning, I hugged jane and deanna a little bit longer; I moved a little bit slower and was so grateful for the fact that
it was just normal-

I began to thank God that He allowed that guy to stop in time, and I began to thank Him for my family, and for our home, and for warm beds, and food in the fridge and for cars that work- for everything.

later that day I thought to myself, “right now, jane is sitting on the sofa, watching cartoons and munching on some cereal; Deanna is reading her books, making to-do lists, and working with jane-
all is well, and well is wonderful.”


are things just normal for you today?
thank God for that normalcy- it’s a gift;
a gift that you might give anything for under different circumstances-
take time to thank God for normal today- don’t take it for granted!
be grateful for what you have.
don’t compare yourself and what you have with others-
what you have is beautiful- appreciate that today.

and another thing- drive safe! there are some crazies out there.

“be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

God is love.
-rev-rob