A Normal Life

I heard someone say "I just want to live a normal life" . 

This morning a friend told me he met a man sitting on a bench outside the hospital. He was mentally impaired and living in a group home several miles away. He had come for a doctor's appointment. He missed his ride home. My friend called the home. They said they could not come get the man. We were both dismayed that the caretaker did not care about this man. (My friend drove him home.)

Next a woman told me of her struggles with her son. After pouring her life into raising him, in his middle 20s he became mentally ill. Now he will never reach the potential she raised him for. He no longer acts like the son she raised. She cried with a broken heart. 

Then there were calls to help a friend whose life has fallen apart. Once self sufficient, he lost his job and then his home. He wonders why he cannot have the things so many people have. 

What is a normal life? It is a struggle. It is not perfect. Some have it better than others, but struggle is common to most of us. People I care about are sick, have marriage problems, feel unloved, need money, are lonely, worry about their children, and wonder about their future.

This is the "new normal" in a sense, the normal created by the Fall and sin's entrance into humanity. But it is not normal in the sense of God's design. That design was expressed in the Garden that God made for man. Perfect relationships existed. A perfect environment was enjoyed. 

But man rejected it.

The promise of God is to make it right. Starting with Christ's entry into the world to reclaim it for God's kingdom, it culminates in another garden of perfection shown at the conclusion to the Revelation. Won't that be a great day? I can only imagine the wonder, excitement and relief we will feel. 

John, the apostle, saw it too. He saw how great it was. So, with him we cry "come Lord Jesus!"