Jacob wrestled with God through the night (Genesis 32:24.) God touched his hip and it was wrenched. His name was changed. “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”(28)
For the rest of his life Jacob walked with a limp. He had to change his behaviour and live with it. Perhaps he carved himself a walking stick. Perhaps his family had to help him sit down and rise. Life would never be the same again. He had to live with a new normal.
My six-year-old granddaughter has been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. After a week’s stay in hospital she now has to monitor her blood sugar carefully, watch what she eats and always be aware of her condition. Life will never be the same again for her or her family. Habits and routines have to change. It’s something they need to learn to live with. A new normal.
We all have something that has changed our lives and we now have to live with a new normal. It might be a medical condition, loss of a loved one, change in financial circumstances. There are many kinds of losses from bereavement to job loss to displacement. We need to grieve our loss appropriately and then learn to live with it.
Life is not a fairy tale with a happily ever after ending. However, it is a story. It is our story and the decisions and actions we choose today influence the end. We can choose to be happy, even while we live with the new normal.
Although we might have to live with it, we don’t have to do it on our own. Paul tells us: “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength but with your testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
My Prayer
Lord please give me:
The gratitude to appreciate all the good things in my life, The attitude of trust to know that You will help me through my challenges, griefs and losses, and the latitude to look around and notice others who might need my help in learning to live with their new normal. Amen.
Coffee in the Rain 