What Will Be Your New Normal?

WHAT WILL BE YOUR NEW NORMAL?
2 minute read
Maple~the kitten~escaped last Saturday. She often sits at the door whining and crying. The minute she saw that door open, she ran for her freedom. She belongs to my daughter Andrea. It might seem trivial in light of everything going on, but it was heavy on her family’s heart. Her husband and boys searched all day for that kitten, with no luck. Little Maple’s sister was crying too. Everyone was sad.

That evening as the boys were saying their prayers, Andrea’s oldest said something that surprised her. When she told me, it brought tears to my eyes.

He said...
“Mom, this is bad.”
Thinking he was upset about Maple running away, she asked...
“What’s bad?”
His response~

“I got used to not going to church.”

His little 6 year old heart recognized that something was wrong. He didn’t want to get used to that. He wasn’t thinking about what tomorrow would be like without Maple, he was thinking about what tomorrow would be like without church.

His heart wasn’t stuck on his circumstances, his heart was focused on God.

~~I couldn’t help thinking about our tomorrow’s and what they will look like. What will life look like for us when the “stay at home” ban is lifted? When we can open our doors and leave our homes?

Some have been just like Maple~whining and crying the entire time, just waiting to escape.

Others have leaned in to embrace the time, to trust in God, to get deeper into His word, to pray more and praise more. To find joy despite what their tomorrows might look like.

Perhaps you never went to church before, but for the first time you have discovered the power and comfort found in the word of God, and this will be your new normal.

And still others may have gotten used to not going to church. Will that become your new normal? Will your life return to what it used to be? Will you forget the closeness you may have experienced with God because of this virus~how much you learned to trust Him, how often you talked to Him? Will you even remember to thank Him?

Will your heart be stuck on your circumstances, good or bad, or will it be focused on God?

Funny how our hearts turn to God when our circumstances are bad but when our circumstances are good, when life is good, we tend to slip away from God and we get used to our lives without Him. Sadly, we don’t even recognize when it happens.


~~Darkness was just starting to fill the evening sky when we got the message that Maple had returned home.
The boys were already asleep but we knew their tomorrow would be a celebration of joy.

~~Purpose in your heart today, and every day, that this~
this special time God has allowed you,
this time to draw closer to Him~

This will be your new normal.

When the ban is lifted, when the doors are open, yes~ enjoy that freedom but don’t wait until darkness comes into your life again to return to God. Purpose in your heart that you will stay close to Him and never forget all that He has taught you and blessed you with these last few weeks.

When things are bad, and more importantly when things are good~don’t ever let your heart get used to a life without Him again.

When that is your new normal, every one of your tomorrows will be a celebration of joy.