New norm

If you’ve heard it once this year, you’ve heard it a hundred times. “This is the new norm.” And yet even with that knowledge, do you find yourself longing desperately to go back to the “old norm?”

You’ve established a “new norm” many times in your life. Started a new job, moved homes or cities, entered or ended a relationship, birthed a child, and the list goes on. So why is this “new norm” so hard to swallow?

The other “new norms” were likely a bi-product of your choosing or they stemmed from a decision of your making. You had some involvement and say in the process.

But with this one, that’s not the case.

I had to establish a “new norm” 9 years ago. A decision was made for me, and no matter how much I was against it, it was happening. I had no personal say in the matter and no control in the outcome.

Things I had planned for were no longer options and things I never imagined were now reality.

I hated it. I was miserable. I mourned and I grieved until it felt like that had become my “new norm.” In desperation I cried out, “God, I’m tired of feeling this way. Help me out!”

He gave me the answer in one simple phrase: give thanks.

Are you tired and worn down? Are you past your limits? Are you ready for the present to be history? Is the worry, the anxiety, the unknown leaving you weary?

Give thanks.

Seriously, give thanks.

Maybe it’s the for changing of the seasons, the warm cup of coffee greeting you each day, the conversation with a friend, or the smile of your child.

Maybe it’s simply the certainty of knowing that each day you will wake up to a sunrise and see the sunset before you go to bed.

“Give thanks in all circumstances.”

Why?

“This is God’s will for you in Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Try it. You’ll be surprised at how it works. Even in a pandemic. Even in isolation. Even in the uncertain.

Give thanks!