Do I really want a "normal" day? Thinking out loud...

This morning I'm praying for a more "normal" day. By normal, I mean actually being able to attend to the items I had imagined attending to when I looked at my calendar last night and said: "Ah, Tuesday; I have two articles to write, an on-line class to outline, and some interviews to schedule. Then I'm taking Rebekah out for dinner then maybe a movie...."

Life, of course, is seldom that cooperative. Yes I have gone upwards of three or four weeks in succession without a deviation from the routine; and - yes - a certain amount of predictability is very helpful when staring down huge chunks of work that require concentration and planning.

But life is, by definition, a state of constant flux. Typically, what we describe as calm is really more properly stasis (a static balance between opposing forces); balance is not an "absence of hassle" quality so much as an "in order" experience. To be honest I think we are often confused about what we want.

We say we want calm when what we really need is balance. We say we want more time when what we're actually looking for is productivity. We say we want quiet when what we really mean is peace. We say we want to be rich but our souls instead are crying out for satisfaction.

There's a scripture (Psalm 118:24) that declares "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." The being-glad part is not contingent on having the day turn out the way we think it needs to; the rejoicing is a simple response to understanding who made the day.

I like the CEV translation a lot: "This day belongs to the LORD! Let's celebrate and be glad today."

So I'm shifting my position as I "think out loud", and I'm saying that what I really want to experience today is not "normal" so much as it is peace. It turns out that I am at peace most often when I am in balance. And I am in balance when I live in the knowledge that "This day belongs to the LORD!", when I live out of the truth of that knowledge, and when I let my faith be my guide.

I'm not feeling all that erudite this morning - so I'll publish this post and let you sort it out the best you can!

Blessings, always - DEREK