What is Normal?

What is normal? I have been away from my blog for over a week now and have been dying to come back, but my thoughts have prevented me from one clear post. So, I decided to take the plunge and hopefully all that is up in my crazy head will come out in blog posts over the next few days.

The past two weeks I have begged the Lord to make my life "normal." Well needless to say I think I hear him laughing at me. My God has a huge sense of humor and we love to laugh. So, as I beg him to make my life normal he is smiling. Well, today in my usual daily ritual of blog stalking, I started with Katherine Wolf's Mom's Blog. IT IS AMAZING!!! I usually cry every time I read it, but I leave reading her blog remembering how great the Lord is to me. Today her post was titled "The New Normal." I think she wrote it just for me. (Side note: She and her family are experiencing extreme pain; I hope I never have to experience, I can only imagine their normal will never be the same.) One of my favorite parts was Mrs. Arnold quoting, "Normal is just a setting on your dryer!" How completely perfect! God did not intend for us to be normal or ordinary or live comfortable lives. He called us to throw all that aside, for the cross was not "normal." Why would I want my life to be normal? Jesus led an extraordinary life, not a normal life.

Well, I did the most not normal thing this weekend! I went to Chicago! I bought my plane ticket Thursday morning and flew out Friday night. It was a fun filled weekend in the Windy City with Mary Kneeland and Lauren. This past weekend was also the Air and Water Show in Chicago. 

Explanation: Military and recreation aircraft are constantly flying over the city and the great lake. If you have never had the pleasure of being in Chicago during this time, you are missing out. During several meals I thought an F-16 was literally coming through the front door and while walking the streets I thought we should probably duck for missiles. It was unreal. Despite the war zone, we had several amazing meals, walked miles through the city, decorated birthday cakes, hit up some amazing sales, and spent great time laughing and enjoying a beautiful weekend. I could definitely live there in the summer, but NOT in the winter. Thank you Mary and LaLa for having me, I can't wait to go back!

So my life may not be normal, but as God has proven time and again, my life is pretty great! I am not suffering from massive brain damage (as is Katherine Wolf), I am not sitting in a chemo chair every week like my precious grandfather does, and I do not go to bed hungry at night like 1/8 of the children in the United States. I am abundantly blessed, I am a sinner saved by grace.

"The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst."

1 Timothy 1:14-15