"normal"

i love this quote and felt so convicted by it that i wanted to share with everyone:

Most of us are just trying to live a "normal life." Have you ever found yourself wondering whether or not the goal of life should be normalcy? (Francis Chan, Crazy Love, 2008)

i have so often look at my friends' lives in jealousy because their lives seem so easy. they don't "have to" do the church thing. they don't "have to" live to a high standard. they have it easy because their lives are "normal." they do their thing - go to their job, come home, do whatever they want - but that's not what it's about. "normal" is a pretty low standard when we are pursuing God. when life is done, i hope that the people i leave behind don't say that my life was pretty "normal." we have so much more that we can experience in this life if we just let go of normal and pursue God's purpose for us. even if that means giving up our own dreams for God's.

this isn't a painless process. in fact, since i knew i was moving to Florida, i fought this realization the whole way. i so desperately wanted to be "normal" - normal husband, normal job, normal life. but, as Francis Chan points out, what if that's not the goal?

so i've given in. i'm not going to try to live a "normal" life anymore. i want my life to be so much more than that.