This time of year floods us with a variety of emotions. For some it’s thrilling, the little kiddos in our lives bring immense joy. Christmas traditions flood our schedule. The anticipation of the special people in our lives opening the perfect gift we bought them. Exciting adventures filled with awe for the season. For others, it is a time of sorrow over loved ones lost, ended relationships, undelivered pregnancies, medical conditions, job losses, or financial setbacks. Embracing a new normal is not what we had planned for this Christmas.
There is a unique scenario dwelling in the minds of every single person, manifesting itself as the “what I think should happen” story. We all conceive a plan. A good plan. Then life happens. Things don’t go as planned. And the new normal we tried desperately to avoid has somehow crept into our lives.
“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.” No truer words can be spoken than what Ecclesiastes 3:1 says. In our human thinking, those words are simple to embrace when life is going well. However, incredibly hard to grasp during tragic times. There have been times in my life when a new normal invaded an already crippled soul.
Several years ago I experienced a tragic loss, one marking my soul. My new normal that year was almost more than I could handle. Even all these years later, I still wonder “what if” things would have turned out as I had planned. One thing I have learned is: “We live life forward but learn life backward.” I am forever grateful for God’s sovereign hand of grace and mercy. In my deepest pit, He brought understanding (not as soon as I would have liked), and I realized I will never be normal…but I will be rescued…
I don’t know the exact situation you are experiencing today, but your Heavenly Father is aware of the emotions you are feeling. Perhaps you are angry, cried out, depressed, and fearful of the coming year. As you persevere through each day, I encourage you to reach out and pray for strength during this time. Whether it is being overwhelmed with all you have to do or complete heartache…God is there.
One of my favorite parts of the Bible is the Potter and the Clay. Perhaps it is because I have always thought of myself as a mess, just like a pile of clay. However, when the true Potter got a hold of me, I finally started taking shape. Jeremiah 18 tells us of the time the potter was working at his wheel, but it didn’t turn out as hoped, so he crushed into a lump of clay and started over. The potter never gave up on his project, and our Potter never gives up on His people.
Ladies, whatever lump of clay you are trying to mold today, remember there is a Divine Potter who simply wants you to kneel at the Potter’s wheel. He will take whatever you had hoped for, assist you in starting over, and define your new normal. Our messes can become our messages…and that is how we survive normal.
Prayer takes our burdens to God…Belief compels us to leave them there…
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