I asked myself this out loud recently. Actually I was praying and just thanking God for the struggles in my life and how they have only driven me to a more intimate relationship with Him. I was crying and just saying “what if my life was normal?”
then these words from Krista’s anybody story this week hit home + I decided it was time to post these stirring questions in my head and heart.
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God was making us unsettled with “normal” and we began to wrestle with 2 big questions. The first was… If God is real, and Jesus truly came to redeem us and to redeem this world, then shouldn’t that make a huge difference in how we live our lives? The second question was… Would we be willing to say yes to anything God called us to? It was becoming more and more apparent to us that we were living the life that we chose. The way we lived our day to day lives and the posture of our hearts were not running with the wild abandonment that should match the reality that God is real and sent Christ to redeem all that was broken. We had a sense that God had a bigger story to write with our lives. But that was scary. What would he ask us to do? Would he call us to move and leave our friends and family? Would people think we were crazy? Would His story for our lives be as good as the story we were writing? Would it be full of pain and struggle? What would he ask us to give up and how much of a risk would it be to truly say yes to God? |
What is normal anyway?
I don’t think you can define normal – but for me “normal” is what I would have imagined for my life when I was growing up. I would get married, have a few kids, my husband would have a steady job, we would live in the same town forever and then retire. normal right? That is now the farthest thing from “normal” for me. and it’s hard to be not normal when so many around you [as you perceive] are “normal”. They are having biological kids, have steady jobs with paychecks that come twice a month, cars they lease, churches and schools they are firmly planted at, vacations planned and parents and/or in laws down the street. I don’t have any of those things my friend. Plugged into a church, yes! committed to an amazing community, yes! but we adopted our kids, we work for ourselves and we have no family within 200 miles. We have no idea where we will forever “plant our roots” and I’m beginning to think we might not ever know. We are totally open to whatever and wherever God calls us [which is scary but exciting! ] We might not ever have biological kids that “look like us”, we spend our vacation time on trips to Africa, and are still working on paying off school loans. Our lives looking nothing like I imagined they would.
the good news is, God knew and His plans are far more exciting! God can do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine and He has done that in our lives. It has NOT been an easy road. but He has placed people on it that have walked with us. As I think about some of my closest friendships, I can only recall that they are strong and steady because we have been through real seasons of life together. We have endured hardships, suffering, pain, and loss together . We have also come on the other side of that to celebrate joy and grace and new life and gods goodness. When I think about the closest friends I have right now, I think about the nights we sit around talking about this crazy life we live and Gods big plan. all for HIS glory and our JOY. We share our struggles openly, we pray for each other, we encourage each other and cheer each other up when one of us needs it. we are real with each other.
so what if my life was normal? maybe I would still be trying to put on the “good girl” image that I did in high school and college. maybe I would be still trying to keep up appearances. or I would keep my junk + my sin secret and suffer alone. maybe I would still be trying to play God in my own life. maybe I would be stubborn and only want what I want and not what God wants for my life. maybe I wouldn’t spend my precious time away to go love on gods children in Africa. maybe I wouldn’t have two little brown babies living in my house who I call son and daughter. maybe I wouldn’t have friends all over the country that I’m bonded with forever thanks to adoption and missions. maybe I wouldn’t have my tattoos + would still be a blonde. maybe my family wouldn’t think I was crazy if I was normal. but then maybe He wouldn’t have changed their hearts along the way too…
I’m glad my life isn’t “normal” or what I used to think was normal. My family used to have this thing we would say when we would see people [mainly when we were traveling or out of town] and we thought they might be people we would like to hang out with//we would call them PLU’s. “people like us”. A few years ago Stephen + I decided that we didn’t fit into that PLU category, and so we made up our own. we call those people “WLU” weird like us.
what would your life look like if it wasn’t normal?
Hey, I'm Wynne!
Hi, friend! First, I truly am so giddy that you are here. I want you to know I believe in you and all the ways you are growing towards living a more intentional life. I genuinely hope you are encouraged from our time together here.
A little about me, I’m a type 7 on the enneagram, a total extrovert + people lover, entrepreneur, connector, storyteller, people gatherer, and passionate wife, mama + friend. I feel most alive when I’m exploring new places and surrounded by people I love. Give me a day in the outdoors disconnected from wifi, and I am a happy girl. I run on oat milk lattes, Jesus, gratitude journaling and kitchen dance parties with my four kids.
Welcome, come on in!
I love this my friend! So much. Thank you for making me feel a little less “not normal” by living differently! Love you friend!
love you krista! we are in this together!
Oh Wynn, girl do I do this too. In low places I say this often. But the times I can right myself I realize I am so blessed that my life is not “normal”. Cheers and thank you God for that.
yes yes brittany!!!
Thanks Wynn, I really needed this today. Sometimes the doubts and worries seem to choke us. Our live isn’t going to be ‘normal’ and others may not understand, but God does and He will lead us.
aletta, thank you for your comment. i’m so glad i’m not the only one on this path!
Hey Wynne- I’ve followed your blog for a while and just wanted to let you know that I hugely appreciate your honesty and transparency. And all of your posts about living simply so others can simply live have made an impact on me- and I’m sure many others. So here’s to not being normal- because you are having a great impact on the kingdom.
loved this, sweet Wynne! Thank you for sharing what’s on your heart.
love this and i’m totally with you!! i always say, “normal is so boring!”
[…] This crazy thing called the internet and blogging has been such a big part of my life the past 6 years. I’ve shared so much of our lives, our adoption journey, our struggles and our joys, and I love that it’s something that I [and future generations] will always be able to go back to. I process so much of life by writing, and there’s nothing I want to do more after the end of an inspiring evening/conversation/expierence than come home and write about it. Life is meant to be lived. then, for me, so much of it is to be written and shared. I still sometimes pour through my old posts to read the thoughts I was thinking on the day I became a mom, or when I finally realized that I was thankful that my life isn’t “normal”. […]