I'm Just a Normal Person

"I'm just a normal person, I don't have any powers."

those words killed me, murdered me tonight.

my son has wanted to be a Jedi for a long while now, and tonight while i was putting him to bed he burst into tears as he confessed "Jedis aren't real."

he wept. literally wept. there was nothing more he wanted to be. and realizing or coming to grips with the idea that a Jedi isn't "real" was just too much for him. he confessed that he isn't a jedi, just a normal person and that he didn't have any powers.

it took all of me to not break down with him.

all i could do is assure him, that while a Jedi isn't really real, that i was so proud of him that he wanted to be a Jedi. because a Jedi is good, and protects people and fights for what is right.

i told my son these are all things that i hope for him. and even though Jedis aren't real, i am truly proud that he wants to be one.

i also told him that i'm just a normal person. i know, hard to believe. but the reality is our kids look up to us and don't see us as normal people. i told him that i'm just a normal person but God helps me to do great things all the time.

i told him that i pray with people to be healed and get to lead people in worshiping God. these are great things. its okay to be a "normal" person, because God will help us do great things.

so here is to being a normal person, and how devastating it is when we discover that.

may we be equally rocked when we discover the greatness of God and what He wants to do through us!

history

just say the word "history" to yourself a few times.

what comes to mind? world history? church history? personal history?

i am not a history buff. my brother-in-law is. but he kind of has to be because he teaches it. but one thing i know is our history informs the present, and our present will inform our future.

it doesn't mean we are bound by the past, it just means the past is like a reference on your resume'. whether you know it or not, the past has something to say about how things may unfold for you. especially if you are unaware of your past.

the fact is, i have had things happen in my past, in my history, that were not good, were not healthy. these things inform me now. but it is up to me to filter those things and evaluate how to act on what i'm hearing.

think about the history of God's people. God is well informed that His people always seem to walk away. Yet God always opens the door and welcomes. The bible does describe a day when the option of returning will no longer be on the table, but until then, it seems like God, being all-knowing, looks at the past, at the history, and chooses to believe the best for us.

there is a kagillion books out there about thinking positively to overcome your past.

i'm thinking we don't need those books as much as we need the Mind of God.

history says you are unlikely to stay close to God... but God believes the best. you can too.

so when you think of history, when you think of your past... for a moment, let the way God sees things permeate its way into your mind. you may see things differently.