I somehow got hung up on the word “normal” yesterday. It appears that maybe too often we equate what is normal with what is good and right and cast that which does not conform to normal in a disparaging light. One definition of the word is “conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.” I thought about people who are left-handed and that being right-handed is normal in the sense that it’s the more common type. Yet for lefties who are born in that state, having that particular trait is natural. Later in the evening while reading from Credo by William Sloan Coffin I was surprised to come upon a quote by him on the same subject. He wrote in part, “Instead of harping on what’s ‘natural,’ let’s talk of what’s ‘normal,’ what operates according to the norm. For Christians the norm is Christ’s love. If people can show the tenderness and constancy in caring that honors Christ’s love, what matters their sexual orientation? Shouldn’t relationship be judged by its inner worth rather than by its outer appearance” When has a monopoly on durable life-warming love been held by legally wed heterosexuals?” My hope is that I will continue to learn to judge people by their character and not by what gender they are attracted to or other external characteristics and that more and more people will do that same.
Lord, help us stretch our minds and overcome our discomfort at anything that is out of the ordinary. Help us to see all people as ones who have been created in your image. Lead us away from conforming to the values of the world that take us away from loving you and one another. Amen.
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