Why the World Needs ‘Normal’ Christ-Followers

We sit around in her room as she tells us how God brought her here. Of the open doors, the blessings, the hard stuff.

We sat on the back porch, wrapped in blankets, the sound of the rain a perfect soundtrack. The Tennessee lightning bugs popped in on us every now and then. We discussed match-making, and car accidents, and neighbors.

It was such a far-cry from what I would picture as “culture-changing status.” I mean, aren’t you supposed to do inner-city ministry, or something?

But no, culture is this.

Normal isn’t Bad.

I’ve tried not to be normal. To own a car is the normal American standard, so why not ditch it? College, mission trips, and work seem to be the natural flow of young Christian adulthood, so why not pursue something else?

In younger years, I was liberated by the firm belief I didn’t have to buy a car just because everyone else did, I didn’t have to trek off on 2 week mission trips just to prove my spirituality, and I didn’t have to work endless hours so I could have a whopper of a savings account for no apparent reason.

But lately, I’ve wondered-

Why not be normal?

Is there really anything special or more “Godly” about not having a car versus having one?

If doors close to doing something great for Christ, is it more scriptural to bang on closed doors, or accept the mundane of normal life?

Is it okay to get over it and just be a normal average everyday worker?

What if I would embrace normality?

Normal is Needed.

To me, being regular, just normal, sounded scary. It was boring and weird.

Furthermore, I had to ask myself, was it even right? What about the world that needs change? What about the souls who need the gospel? Dare I even try to just live a normal life? Wouldn’t that be kind of unspiritual?

I had fallen to the idea that to live without regrets is to pursue worldly Christian greatness. I had come to the wrong conclusion that in order to influence culture, we as Christians must be honored and make a mark, be prestigious and change the world.

But no, it’s by “going home and loving your family.” It’s by opening yourself to Christ’s work in your everyday life. Culture will be changed as we acknowledge God in all our ways. Wherever we are. Whoever we are.

We do need prestigious people, smart people, people with PhD’s and 10,000 followers, testifying to Christ. But more than that, we need everyday people acknowledging God and opening themselves to Christ’s work in their lives.

We need regular Joe’s.

We need normal Christians; not the bad kind of normal, but the normal kind of normal. We need Christians who will live out Christlikeness in everyday, maybe even boring, normal life. We need Christians who can go about the ho-hum of daily life in extraordinary ways, influencing culture and reaching souls, while living “normal” lives.

Far from being “unspiritual,” normality is actually the expected norm for the majority of Christians. Normal parents raise eternal souls. Normal farmers grow the food that keeps us alive. Normal people keep our electricity on, and fly us around the world, and and deliver our mail, and diagnose our diseases.

Without normal people, the world won’t work. And without normal Christians, the working world won’t see Christ manifested in everyday life.

Normal Can Change the World.

The danger is if people who are considered the good, “world-changing” type become comfortable believing they’re doing their part and, though they agree the world needs help, they embrace sin and live in personal complacency.

And the people who are embracing Christlikeness and injecting it into every part of their lives may feel inferior, like they should get busy “changing the world,” failing to realize that every time they encourage a family member, refuse dishonesty at work, forgive their brother, love their kids, choose joy over complaining, and every time they give glory to God as they enjoy music, good food, friends, quiet mornings, and God’s great outdoors, and every time they acknowledge God in every aspect of their lives, they are changing the world.

Every time they share Christ with a coworker, refuse to like posts that compromise their values, don’t give in to peer pressure, honor authority, and obey God’s Word, they change the world.

There isn’t just one way to change the world. Yes, abnormality can transform culture, but normality can as well.

So abnormal is really no better than normal… and normal is no better than abnormal… or actually, they’re both better when simply lived out by people in a living relationship with their Savior.

So whether we live out the rest of our days normally or abnormally, the goal is to know Christ and to make Him known.