Lessons from the Heart
Normal?
By Pastor Jeff Tomson

Tomson

When I was a freshman at college, I met Craig. Like me, he was a freshman that just wanted to fit in with his new community. While he told us that he was diabetic he really did not let it keep him from doing the same things that we did. Most of us would agree that 19-yearold college men/boys in a dorm do not live the healthiest lifestyle. Yes, we were all working on clogging our arteries and adding the freshman 15 (or more), the difference was that for Craig this behavior was life threatening. The guys that we ran around with did not know anything about diabetes, so we were not really to blame when Craig went into a near diabetic coma one night.

The point of me telling you this story is not to bash Craig or educate you about health risks associated with diabetes. The point is, whether we recognize it or not, there are things that we do that are not good for us. Craig had an immediate health issue associated with eating greasy deep dish pizza, ice cream, and hot wings with lots of sauce, but we really did not have any business sitting there eating all that stuff in our dorm room that evening either. Craig just wanted to be "normal," but the way that we had defined "normal" was unhealthy.

The same is true today for the world at large. "Normal" may not, and in most cases is not, healthy for us. It might be "normal" to be divorced, have addiction issues, carry a lot of credit card debt, and the list goes on and on; but are these things healthy for us?

In my line of work, unhealthy life styles are an issue to be discussed and dealt with, but even more important to me is the spiritual issue of "sin."

There are all kinds of "sin" in the world and many of them are perceived as "normal." Lying, cheating on taxes, cheating on a test, robbing time or resources from your employer, and again the list goes on and on.

These things may be "normal" in your corner of the world, but that "normal" is not healthy for your soul. The good thing is that if you recognize these issues as "sin" and you want to do something about them then there is a great physician to heal you, in Jesus Christ. That is what Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, and Pentecost are about.

If you are ready to start turning your back on "normal" and ready to start getting healthy, then He is ready to heal. The trick is, you have to accept Him into your life.

Jeff Tomson is pastor at Living Faith Church of the Brethren.