Friday Writing Prompt: On being normal

On being normal

There is a look and sound that is considered normal by many. Look in the mirror. Do you have it? What color is your face? Is it free of blemishes, is your hair the normal range of straight to curly, are your clothes agreeable within the normal range of style, fit, and cleanliness? Speak a sentence. Are you in the normal range of the English language with no accent? If so, you probably look normal. But what’s inside all of that?  

There are many ways to miss the normal mark on the inside. Maybe you are not in the normal range of seeing or hearing. In fact, normal can be measured, quantified, and diagnosed. You might look normal on the outside until you don’t speak normally, don’t respond to others, trip over something obvious, not recognize someone, or you don’t converse about normal activities. 

You could look normal on the outside but think very differently. Thinking differently can cause you to miss important learning at school as with different hearing or seeing, but thinking differently may be even less observable. You might have difficulty reading, communicating, or socializing. You might get in trouble at school for acting out or missing important lessons or learning cues.

You might be different on the outside in very observable ways with different skin, hair, or way of speaking. You may be within the diagnosed normal range on the inside but lack opportunities because of your differences on the outside. 

Gods love grows when we recognize our differences, our different ways of living, and caring for each other. Jesus was not in the normal range. He was so much more. We can learn from Jesus to love outside of normal.