Refuse to Pray for Normal

Amber is a dear friend who loves and wholeheartedly serves Jesus. She and her beautiful family followed His calling and left their home in Northern California to go care for the orphans and widows of Mexico. They founded S.O.W. Ministries(Serving Orphans & Widows Ministries) that cares for, loves, provides prayer & meets needs to make life better for those around them! She shares with us how God has revealed Himself to her as she walks the path He has her on.

Do you ever find yourself praying for normal? I do.

After a really hectic busy month I find myself saying: “I can’t wait for everything to calm down and get back to normal.” Or, after a health scare, traveling, the holidays, or any trial… I find myself praying “Dear God, can’t my life just be normal!?!”

To be honest, I am not sure what I mean by ‘normal’. I’m probably not the best judge of normal. About 2 and half years ago my family packed up and moved to Mexico to volunteer at a free daycare. We have since volunteered at an orphanage and now are running our own non-profit/ministry that helps orphans and widows. NOTHING about the past 3 years of my life has been normal. However, in the past 3 years I have seen the hand of God move in MIGHTY ways!

I wouldn’t trade a day of His plan for my normal!

Last year was especially abnormal. In 2014: we moved 2 times, we had a flood in our kitchen, we lived for 6 weeks with no stove, oven or hot water, my then 9 year old son fell off his bike and had a severe skull fracture, our puppy broke her leg, we had 4 flat tires, our car broke down in Northern California and our 5 day trip turned into 21 days, and someone mysteriously ran into and knocked down a wall in our driveway. These are just the highlights of MANY crazy circumstances that occurred. To add to our chaos the Lord called us away from a ministry we were very comfortable in to a very BIG leap of faith! We never thought we would be serving in Mexico, let alone starting our own ministry. But one step at a time, this is where God has led us, and it is really remarkable to look back at how He provided and guided each step of the way!

If I’m really being honest, one of the biggest areas I find myself praying for normal is with/for my kids. My son Kyler is 10 and daughter Lexie is 8. They are total opposites! Kyler has never met a stranger and makes LOTS of friends everywhere we go. Lexie is very sweet, but is much happier to sing, draw, and play with babies than have actual contact with real people. Although she has her handful of friends, she prefers playing by herself.

My husband and I seem to have a recurring dialogue on long car rides about the lack of “normal” in their life. We homeschool so they don’t have a “normal” school, they don’t play “normal” organized team sports, they don’t have a “normal” routine-our schedule is CONSTANTLY changing as the needs of the people we help are. But when I look at the trade off of what they are getting in replacement of “normal” I see kids who are getting to live in and experience another culture. They meet kids from LOTS of different backgrounds at all the orphanages we work with and I can see that it is shaping them to be more compassionate and generous.  I see life skills developing in them that are incredible; the ability to problem solve, being attentive to others needs, translating, improvising… Most of all they are consistently put in a position to serve others and to be a part of ministry. They pray for others, serve others, give gifts, listen, and SEE God work miracles through provision, healing, and answered prayers. Their faith is not formed from what we teach them in Sunday school, but built on what they live out in their own version of “normal”.

When I put things in perspective I realize that I would never replace Gods plan for my version of normal! So why do I sometimes ask for it or sometimes beg for it? Because I’m a work in progress. Because life is really hard sometimes. Because I look at other people that I consider to be “normal” and I only see the good things; the beautiful new house, the soccer star, the expensive family vacation where everyone is smiling… But that’s not normal. It’s just a pretty piece of their puzzle, it fits together with pieces of heart ache, frustration and fear just like mine. When we decided to move to Mexico 3 years ago my prayers were “Lord, provide a way! Give me the patience to wait when you close the door and the bold strength to walk through the door that you open.” That prayer hasn’t changed much. Each step the Lord is directing me further and further away from my normal, and closer and closer to Him. To a place of dependency, a place of deep faith, a place filled with the EXTRAORDINARY things of Jesus Christ!

My prayer for you dear friend is not for normal, but for God’s perfect, amazing, sometimes scary plan to unfold in miraculous ways! They say all miracles first start with big problems. I am grateful for the big problems that God has used in miraculous ways. I’m not saying we should pray for problems, but if you want to experience God’s miracles you will probably face some trials. Take heart my friend, He is faithful! His ways are beyond our comprehension.  His plan for you is not “normal”, it is extraordinary. You were not created to blend in, but you have been called out, to be set apart for GREAT things that He wants to do in and through you!

-Amber Owen