stop being normal.

In this day and age all any teenager wants to do is fit in. To be accepted by someone, anyone. To simply be normal.

Normal: conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern.

Conform literally means to behave according to socially acceptable conventions or standards. But why? Why do teenagers so desperately want to be normal? Why do we feel like we have to? Simple, we aren't letting the Lord tell us who we ARE, but we are letting the world tell us who we HAVE to be. I would love to tell you that I have never fallen into the trap of wanting to be "normal" but I can't. 

I wanted to be normal. I wanted to listen to what everyone else listened to, watch what everyone was watching. I wanted to fit it. But in order for me to fit in I had to conform to the things others were doing that I knew wasn't who I was. I am living the ideal senior year. I go in late. I leave early. I won homecoming queen. I have plenty of friends. But with all this comes a lot of attention, and with a lot of attention come the battle of pride. I struggled. I pushed away people who ultimately where the ones I really needed, and looking back on that I know that only reason I pushed them away is because they knew what I was doing and they would address it and I didn't want that. Now, not saying I went off the deep end. By no means did I go crazy, but I lost sight of what was important. I let it become all about "me" instead of all about "The." 

Christmas day, sitting at home I just realized the Son of God died on the cross for me and then sent the Holy Spirit to live in me, and I deserved none of it. That isn't normal. Ezekiel 36:26-27, the Lord says, “I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my ways.” If not being normal means having the holy spirit live in me, then so be it. If not being normal means having a heavenly Father protect/watch over me at all times, then so be it. Not being normal doesn't mean you don't fit in and you aren't accepted, it simply means you find your acceptance in the Lord.

It's not about me. It's not about what I want to do on the weekends. It's not about what people say about me. It's not about what people tell me what I am suppose to do. It's not about how many friends I have. It's not about how popular I am. It's all Jesus. It always has been and it always will be. Grace is Jesus. Love is Jesus. Forgiveness is Jesus. Acceptance is Jesus. It's all Jesus. Next time someone tells you that you aren't normal, smile and say, "I know." We weren't called to fit into the crowd, we were called to GO out into the crowd and that requires boldness and boldness requires standing out, not fitting in.

So yes, I wanted to be normal. I wanted to fit in. But now all I want is more of Jesus, and the more I have of Him the less normal I become, and I couldn't me more content with that. 

"Set a fire down in my soul, that I can't contain, that I can't control. I want more of you God."