The Privileged Life: The Blessing of Normal

“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

This has been a “breakdown week” for stuff around our house.

The microwave oven blew up with a little bang. The cover on our bathroom light fell out of the ceiling and broke. Another cover, on our garage door opener, fell off on my car. The thermostat gave us a red warning light. Plus, the Boeing 747 engine in our ancient refrigerator is getting grumpier and wakes us up at night when it revs up for takeoff.

I’m not complaining. I’m content and grateful even though stuff breaks all the time, and in our case, all at once. With the increased complexity of manufactured goods, products don’t hold up as they once did. It’s a normal week in our materialistic, disposable, American life.*

We all long for what we imagine to be a “normal day,” when nothing goes wrong. But that’s not the expectation we’re supposed to have as Christians. God has never promised us a perfect life, with blue skies and green meadows always around us. Those are exceedingly rare moments. Our truly normal days are filled with storms, car wrecks, injury and disease, arguments, loss, drought, pests, and disappointment.

Normalcy for those who follow Christ also involves persecution, recognition of our sinfulness, the need for self-discipline, a hunger for righteousness, and spiritual battles. There’s no such thing as an easy, carefree Christian life.

Even so, a normal day also means that we have the presence of the Holy Spirit, His courage to face our giants, His guidance in difficult problems, and His provision of the things we need. I like that kind of normal.

What constitutes normal for you? Can you look beyond the headaches of the moment to seek what God has purposed for you?

Every single day is created by Him for His glory. Most of us are familiar with Psalm 118:24—we’re supposed to be glad and rejoice in the day we’ve been given. If you examine the other statements in this psalm, however, you’ll find that the writer isn’t talking about only the happiest of days.

The psalmist calls us in verse 1 to be thankful to God because He is good and His mercy endures forever. By the time you get to verse 5, he tells of calling on the Lord in a time of distress. The Lord answers him and sets him in a “broad place” where he is no longer surrounded by enemies who hate him. In verse 14, the psalm writer declares that the Lord is his strength, song, and salvation during significant danger—inspiring him to praise God for His marvelous works and light. The psalmist closes with the same declaration to be thankful for His goodness and mercy.

Friends, let’s praise our Lord together every day for the riches He gives us, the trials He places before us, and the goodness and mercy of His plans for us. Let us exalt Him for the moments when things fall apart, knowing that He has not abandoned us in our darkest moments.

All of this prepares us for even greater gratitude and praise when we have those rare “perfect” days. And, speaking for myself, I’m learning to praise God for lovely days and things (like our defunct microwave oven) that I too often take for granted! 

Jesus Christ, thank You for all of the many blessings and for multitude of trials You have placed before me. I know You work all things together for my good because You have called me to be Your child…and because Your plans for me are rich in goodness and mercy. Help me give thanks to You in all things and glorify Your name in days of trouble. How I praise You for Your continual presence and comfort! In Your holy name, Amen.

Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her weekly blogs are featured on Crossmap.com and AriseDaily. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at NancyCWilliams.com and subscribe at the bottom.

© Copyright 2024 Nancy C. Williams (text and photography). Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

#normal #normalcy #normalday #blessingsfromGod #brokenappliances #microwaveblownup #plannedobsolescence #happyday

*Note: I recognize that, compared with most of the world, the items I mentioned are capital luxuries…they are way out of the norm. It’s a privilege to have electricity along with appliances that eventually succumb to age and obsolescence….