The New Is Still Not Normal

Updated: Nov 8, 2020

Man pulling the curtain up to a new colorful world. Power to make a change for the better

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. And He Who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “it is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.
Revelation 21:1-7

One of the favorite phrases of our time is “new normal.” I
use the phrase, right alongside everyone else, but I admit that I do not like
it. When there is some sort of change in our circumstances, we want an adjusted
state of rightness or an adapted plateau of living so we know what to expect
and how to function. A “new” normal presupposes that our prior state of
existence was an “old” normal, even though that state no longer exists. In my
mind, I envision an Oz-like wizard rearranging everything, and all of us racing
around trying to accommodate the changes. To me, that sounds more demonic than
natural. It’s like musical chairs for human life and living.

What is revealing is how determined we are to find normal. We
need some state of affairs that are stable, so we know how to live, what to do,
how to respond, what to value, and so on. For example, a month ago, did it
occur to any of us that toilet paper would be a prized commodity? No… Our “new
normal” appears to indicate that toilet paper is of great value, while gasoline
is not. So, like children dancing to the music, we rush to find our new normal
seat in the musical chairs game of life, hoping that we like where we land. Wbat
bothers me is the underlying assumption that, in whatever our new
circumstances, we are going to regain our equilibrium, get all our ducks in a
row, and be content again. To me, it sounds a lot like the Hebrew slaves
saying, “By golly, we can make bricks
out of clay! It’s not that hard. Let’s go back to Egypt!” You were not set free
in Christ Jesus so you could be comfortable with whatever enslaves us today.

When Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead (which is
very different from being resuscitated from death), He inaugurated the true normal for all time and for all
people. That state of affairs is
normal, not anything we will find, or even create, on this side of His full and
eternal reign. When we scurry about trying to re-create or re-form normal here,
we will fail, for there is no utopia apart from our God. Life here is
uncertain, unfair, unjust, and sometimes, breathtakingly beautiful and blessed
– for our God is good.

We have so much influence on the here and now, even if we
are unable to control the events and circumstances to which we are subject. Our
love of others and our delight in them, our sacrifice and service to them, our
joy in Christ that spills out around us, the hope we exude in our daily living,
all of these can make a huge difference in the lives of those who cross our
paths. We can advance the Kingdom of God and see genuine new birth in Him and
real change in the lives of others. What we cannot do is make that last. Each
generation must do the same for itself, for change only lasts as long as one
lifetime. When that life is gone, something new arises, and the new can be
either good or bad, but not normal.
Good or bad, it’s just change, that’s all. The stone of our lives is thrown in
the proverbial pond, its ripples going out in ways we cannot imagine or
control. However, we can choose whether good or bad goes forth from our hearts
and minds, depending upon how closely we live to Christ and how obedient we are
to Him through His Spirit Who dwells in us. Then, another generation comes
along, and the Christians in that generation must answer the call of Christ to
go forth in His name in love and service for His glory.

Paraphrasing St. Matthew, “Lightning will flash across the
sky, the tribes will mourn (meaning people attached to this earth), angels will
appear sounding the trumpet, and the Son of Man will come with power and glory
to gather His people.” (cf. Matt. 24:27-31) Then, Jesus Christ will rule, and
His rule will be here in this
creation. He’s not going to rule in some yet-to-be-disclosed location, but here
– here, on earth, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or
pain, for He will make everything
new!

This unspoken, usually unrecognized, longing for home is the
source of our expectation of good things. It is the whisper that supports our confidence
that we deserve good and should have joy. We were made to live as God’s
children, wholly and joyfully in the Kingdom of the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. The restlessness in our souls and our search for the stability of
“normal” are the deep compulsion of the human soul to rejoice in Christ our God
– for His joy to be in us and for our joy to be complete. (cf. John 15:11)

Every time we adapt ourselves to changes by forming a “new
normal,” we are essentially settling ourselves into the brokenness and whims of
creation; we are accommodating sin and death, even if that is not our intent.
Don’t settle for that. Let change be change and nothing more. Do not search here
for the facsimile of normal and illusion of contentment. You were meant for so
much more. When Christ returns, then, once and for all, we shall be normal.
There will be no sorrow, no suffering, no death, no fear, nor pain. Those will
belong to the former age, and we will be part of the new age to come. What
Jesus began on the Cross last week shall be completed when He returns in glory.
Finally, when we see Him, we will be as He is. (cf. 1 John 3:2)

The day is coming – perhaps soon, perhaps another millennium
away – that I will finally, finally
be normal. I’ll dance in the streets of my Father’s Kingdom, and the only
dizziness I’ll know is the giddiness of my heart waltzing in joyful abandon
before my Lord. Never again will the filth of sin contaminate my soul, nor the
tentacles of evil and death reach to claim me. Don’t you want that, too?

The true normal has begun already. Reach for it… You’ll be
surprised how close you can get.

In Christ –