A New Normal

Imagine walking into a house you were never in before, and knowing where everything was. Everything - not just the layout of the rooms, but also the cups and saucers, the sheets, the shower gel, the potato peeler - things you would only know the location of if you lived there. Not only were these things in place, but they were in precisely the place you would want them to be. The décor was exactly what you like. The paint color was perfect. Even the feel of the fabric of the couch cushions was exactly what you like. It was as if you had already seen the plans and built and designed the house yourself, only you didn’t. Imagine how strange that would feel. You would feel out of place and yet feel at home at the same time. Imagine instinctively reaching into your pocket and finding a set of keys for that house, attached to a keyring with your name on it. Imagine your surprise that this house that feels new and yet familiar is actually yours! I think that’s what it feels like when you start to walk in your purpose. Unfamiliar things you never imagined or previously thought were impossible become your everyday reality.

There is an ease and a peace that comes when you begin to walk in alignment with who you were created to be. Even if the work is challenging, you approach it from a place of belonging. One of my favorite Bible passages, Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV), says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God doesn’t just save and call us to say, “Thanks” and then be quiet and do nothing. There’s a purpose for which we have all been created, and there is no greater fulfillment than walking it out. The awesome thing is that it looks different for everyone. It’s also the confusing thing. In watching someone else flourish as they efficiently operate using their gifts, we can be tempted to imitate them. Understand that what works for him/her won’t necessarily work for you. God took His time making you. He counted the hairs on your head. He carefully made a unique template for you. He created you to do things nobody else can do in the way you do them. In case you didn’t know, you’re pretty special.

We are taught we have to work hard for success, and while that’s true, in so doing we often discount the things that we do quite naturally, thinking that surely the things that come to us so easily couldn’t possibly be the things success is tied to. Success is supposed to be sacrificial, right? It requires blood, sweat and tears, hustle and grind, struggle and climb. It can’t be so easy. Or can it? Can it be that if we let go of our assumptions about what success looks like and look instead to how God sees us and what God requires from us that we would start to pursue something greater than ourselves, and find all the fulfillment we are looking for? I believe we can. We are taught that only certain traits, gifts and accomplishments can move us forward, but every attribute we are created with by God is good and useful. There is nowhere in the Bible, when, upon creating something, God immediately said, “You know what? Forget it. I don’t like this.” As a matter of fact, on the sixth day of creation, He looked at everything He made and said it was “very good.” Understand that you’re not just good, you’re very good, just the way He created you. Now don’t get me wrong. There is a difference between acknowledging and celebrating how God made you and making excuses not to change bad habits because you are stuck in your ways. Godly wisdom will tell you the difference.

There is an awkwardness about everything in Life when we are out of alignment with God. Have you ever been in a position where you felt completely out of place? Maybe you feel like that every day. Maybe you know exactly what you need to do to function where you are in Life right now, but you aren’t sure you really should be there. You feel like there’s more; like something is missing, but you can’t put your finger on it. There is a part of you that already knows what you are called to do, even if you aren’t aware yet. It may lie dormant for a time, and comes alive when activated by hearing the call of God. God’s Voice is familiar because it’s the Voice that whispered your purpose to your soul when He breathed Life into you. God is always calling, but when our Lives are too busy running after success, we aren’t still long enough to pay attention to hear, let alone answer the call. We may not even know we should be listening out for Him. Lasting and meaningful success is found in looking for God. “Looking for God” has always been an interesting concept to me, because in all the years we have been on the earth, God has never changed His address or phone number. We know where to find Him. We can reach Him on the prayer line, dialing with faith and talking to him toll-free, any time.

Answering the call of God is more than just doing the thing God wants you to do. You can’t walk in your purpose, doing the thing God wants you to do, until you become the person you need to be. Walking in purpose isn’t hard. It’s the becoming that requires the most work. The transformative work of God is often delayed or derailed by Life’s distractions, and we end up on a path that seems good, but is nowhere close to where God created us to be. The call pulls us back on track and gives direction when we get lost. We can get so used to walking around and around in familiar circles that it becomes comfortable, and almost feels natural, even though it’s unproductive and unfulfilling.

We’ve all heard the phrase, "Step out of your comfort zone,” but I’m thinking of it differently. The things God is calling you to do, the new mindset you know is in alignment with God’s word, the new routines, the “renewing of your mind” that’s required for you to live a changed Life, aren’t foreign. These aren’t alien concepts. There is a sigh of relief in your spirit that comes when you say a solid “yes” to the call of God. Your soul already knew this was the way you were created to walk.

I will tell you what changed the game for me. I stopped “going to church”. I don’t mean I stopped attending service. I stopped taking my body into the building and took my spirit in there with me. I left everything else at the door and brought all I was to God. He started to do the work. I came “as-is”… Imperfect, dusty and crusty, unworthy, inconsistent, flawed in so many ways. And He said, “Ok; this is good. I can work with this.” I let Him love on me. I let Him see all the mess I was trying to hide. Imagine letting Someone into your home so they can go through all your stuff and giving them permission to throw everything away that doesn’t serve a purpose, so you can live a better Life. This is what God does. It’s hard, but it’s so necessary. I had to let go of wanting to do things perfectly and in my own strength. I was making a mess of it anyway. Why do you think the Bible has so much advice about what to do when we mess up? Because we’re messed up! And that’s ok. If we weren’t, we wouldn’t need God.

Forget doubt. Certainty is the new normal.

Forget confusion. Clarity is the new normal.

Forget feeling unworthy. Confidence is the new normal.

Forget misalignment. You are working in cooperation with God.

Forget running after success. God will add success to your Life.

It’s time for something new. Step into your comfort zone. It’s where you belong.