Abnormal

 Hebrews 11

13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

I hope you've felt uncomfortable this year. Today is Friday the 13th... of 2020! There were many posts online about how "today is the day" for tragic events. We've grown accustomed to bad news. We shrug and say, "It's 2020. What do you expect?"

• This past week, my great-uncle had multiple medical emergencies.
• Earlier this week, my wife and I got in a fight and we felt the strain on our marriage. 
• Yesterday, I just found out that a former congregation member from another church might not make it home from the hospital. 
• No one really knows what's going on with the election and recount. 
• Cases of Covid19 has seen an uptick in the past two weeks. 
• An article this past week said that we are beyond the point of no return for global warming. Even if we cut all carbon emission, it's too late. The damage is irreversible. 

It is easy for Christians to lose hope in this time. However, that list I just made reminds me of one truth: I'm a stranger and exile on this earth.

Have you ever thought how pain is actually a foreign feeling? It is your body telling you, "Hey... that's not supposed to happen." With my great-uncle's emergency, the relatives panicked and told me, "Help! He's never like this. This is not... normal." 

This year should be bright flashing sirens to Believers that none of this is "normal." Death is not "normal." Pain and suffering is not "normal." What was normal was the Garden of Eden. Everything since has been an abnormality due to sin. It isn't "normal"-- we just got use to it. 

Hang in there. Your pain, your suffering, your frustration, your anxiety, your illnesses... are not normal. You're a stranger and exile to this weird planet. But do not forget that there is a "better country" that we will be going Home to. It is a city that God Himself is preparing for us! Let every bump in the road remind you that you're still on this roadtrip Home.

There... and only there... will we experience life as it was meant to be. There will be our forever new normal.