I want to be “normal”! Or do I?

I recently had the opportunity to see what life in teenage America is really like when adolescents are getting their party groove on.  Interestingly, the demographic, morally and spiritually speaking, was to be somewhat “different” from the average or “normal” party setting.  These were, after all, “Christian” kids.  Over the course of a number of hours, however, I was challenged as to my assumptions about the evening and about those in attendance.  Honestly, I was fully expecting this group of teens from “Christian” homes to be a bit more tame than the “normal” teen.  And, indeed, they were more tame by any sane measure, yet, the dance performances and musical tastes of this group of clean cut, “morally superior”, and well to do kids was scarily similar to that of “normal” teen America.    Now, as a former youth pastor and one who has generally been tagged with the label of being teen-friendly and aware, I have to admit a sense of great discomfort and unease by the degree of similarity this group of kids shared with the average unchurched American teen.  It has had me thinking about an article I wrote some time ago about the quest for “normal”.  What is true, too true, is that this is not an isolated event and the realities at play are not the sole domain of teen America.  What is at work in this situation is at work in the church at large today, and no doubt, has been throughout history.   The issue is one we all wrestle with everyday of our lives.   Here is the question which this incident has prompted me to consider again.  As followers of Christ, are we to actually embrace Christ’s teachings and walk according to His principles for life?  The answer, of course, seems self-evident, but I am persuaded that we are not convinced as the to importance of the answer.  In our quest to be “normal” we too often abandon our Christian convictions.  It would appear that in the name of fun we are too prone to take the common route.  In the interest of being part of the “in” group we too often abandon our allegiance to Christ so that we might not look foolish.  It seems to me that had someone stepped up and dared to look foolish in the lending and credit markets in the last few years, we very well may have saved ourselves from a global crisis.  Had the greed and fun of following the masses not controlled us we might well be in a much better place.  The narrower road, in this case, surely would have led to less chaos and more stability for everyone.  Is this not the case with our moral activity?  Does not the mass craving for all things fun lead entire cultures to embrace activities which ultimately come back to bite us?  Does not wanton sexuality always come back to get us?  Does not boundary-less use of chemicals in the quest to “feel” not lead us to paths of addiction and collapse?  The bait dangled in front of us always is meant to allure us.  Rarely does the bait ever deliver on the promise.  We must recognize, for the good of us all, that to claim the name of Christ and to live like all the rest, is to miss the point.  The call of the gospel, the privilege of the Gospel is that we can be changed and enabled to live in a better way.  Not that we are better people, rather, we have found the better Way, the way of Christ.  The gospel offers us the life-giving opportunity to experience life as it was meant to be lived.   There is no dance like that of a soul alive to the heartbeat of God.  We all have a propensity to be lured away by the pulsating beat of a world living for the moment.  As was mentioned to me in the context of the event I spoke of earlier, “We just like the beat!”  What we tend to forget when our desires are leading the way is that the heartbeat of Christ tends to run counter-culturally.  No, we are not to isolate ourselves from the world.  To the contrary, we are called, as Christ demonstrated Himself, to be fully engaged in the lives of others, even broken and reckless others.  Yet, in that activity, we are called to live in such a way that it is compellingly clear who we are and whose we are.  In so doing, in living beyond “normal”, we demonstrate the joy, power, fulfillment, and purpose which comes from knowing Him.  The beat of sexual perversion, chemical abuse, and all kinds of moral debasement are not in keeping with the pulse of Christ.  Lastly, if you ever hear yourself saying those words, “I just want to be normal!”, take a look at the headlines and ponder the return on normal.  Look at the normal lives of those living under the ether of the Hollywood dream.  Look at the normal lives of those who open their mouths and souls to the enticements of drugs.  Look at the normal outcome of sexual infidelity.  Look at the normal outcome of greed or the lust for power.  Look at the normal outcome of living for self and only self.  Look at the normal outcome for these things and you will find the following: physical deterioration, addiction, divorce, imprisonment, murder, loneliness, isolation, bitterness, hopelessness, abuse, and confusion.    My hope and prayer for my kids and their friends, and for me and you and all those we know is that we might look past normal to Christlikeness.  Every time I choose normal in place of Godliness I fall on my face.  Every time I choose the way of Christ in place of the wider road I am enriched and my soul is enlarged.  I suspect we all find the same.     Consider living beyond normal,  Bruce Smith  optimuslife.org 

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