Leaving Normal Behind

My life left normal a long time ago
I had no choice for it to be so
I tried to hang on but was forced to let go
Of the life I had come to love and know

I could only watch as it disappeared
Things I’d once treasured and held so dear
And I heard God’s faint whisper in my ear
Saying, “I love you too much to leave you here”

But the voice of my own inside my head
Spoke over that whisper and yelled instead,
“Fight for your old life, don’t move ahead
You can get back the life you once led”

It was hard to argue and easy to agree
My old life was filled with fun and good things 
Some stress but no more than expected to be
I wasn’t asking for much, just some normalcy

So I fought to gain back my normal life
But this was and that, it was toil and strife 
The harder I fought and the harder I tried
The more my old life slipped out of sight 

It slipped through my fingers into thin air
And left me alone with my head in despair
But in the stillness, God’s whisper came near
Repeating, “I love you too much to leave you here”

So I gave in and stopped trying to avoid
What I knew was the only good and right choice
And as I surrendered, so did the noise
That had been drowning out the sound of God’s voice

And little by little I began to see 
The things in my life quite differently 
Things that were once so important to me 
Began to matter no more and were replaced with new dreams

It’s not that all of the old things were wrong
Many were good, and their grip was strong 
As I tried to let go, they tried to hang on
But I kept stepping forward and moving along

With each step, new hope began to appear 
And God’s voice grew louder in my ear 
And the more I listened, the more it became clear
How God loved me too much to leave me here 

New life and new vision, I began to see
The purposes and plans God had for me
Each step forward was setting me free
To be all who I was intended to be

It wasn’t easy, the road was long
It wasn’t painless, it cut deep in my soul
There was heartache and heartbreak, but as time wore on
God turned my sorrow into song

And the desires of my heart became that of God’s own
As He turned my sorrow into song
And as it turns out, what I’d never known 
Is the song had been in my heart all along

I had been distracted, too busy to see
The desires and plans God had for me
I had been too concerned with trying to be
The person everyone else thought I should be

But no more, God’s light and His love broke through 
To the heart of it all, He washed me anew
The lies I’d believed were replaced with God’s truth
And He gave me a story as living proof

And I hope to spend the rest of my years
Telling my story to those who will hear
How normal became just a view from the rear
Because God loved me too much to leave me here

He’ll do the same for you, if you come near
You can let go, there’s nothing to fear
God will stay right beside you and He’ll make it clear
That He loves you too much to leave you here

And as you let go, you’ll see in good time
Just as I have, you’ll see and you’ll find
That normal is overrated, there’s much more to life
When you step into God’s plans and leave normal behind 

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“A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in you. ” Psalm 84:10-12 (NLT)