dailydatewithgod

We all have modes which we follow without thinking about them.  We drive on a particular side of the road, we wear clothes in public, we get together for holidays, and so on.  When we do these things over and over they become habits and we see them as norms.  We grasp rather quickly what is considered normal by our families and society.  In order to fit in, we follow them. The norms dictate the set expectation of behavior in order to belong.  Belonging is important.  If we want to function we attempt to fit into the norm.  Anyone who steps outside of that and goes against the grain can be seen as not normal or even worse at outlier.  Just the very connotation makes one feel as though they have not been accepted.  There are different levels of norms and sometimes we can get away with going against the grain.  It is often people who do whom history remembers as major contributors to the shift in the norm.  Yet at the time they are moving against the grain, they are not applauded by it and had to walk through a lot of their own fears about not belonging. We don’t hear that part about it after time and so it looks very glamorous. Most of us when choosing to go against the grain come face to face with the fear and back down. Our minds will always come up with reasons to not do it because we will stand out or people will think we are crazy or weird.  To go against the grain requires courage.  Courage comes from our hearts.  We can listen to the call of our hearts by practicing in small ways going against our own grains.  Doing so builds courage and resiliency.  It shows our capacity to be the person we are designed to be at our core instead of buying into who or what we have been told we are.  We get to meet ourselves where we are instead of trying to meet the someone else we are expected and told to be. Discovering the courage present in us gives us an inkling of what God sees.  The God who knows the truth of who we are.