Beyond The Norm

 2020. A year that took us out of what we considered to be "normal." What we thought was going to be one or two weeks of working from home turned into a year (or more for many!) of working at home. What we thought was going to be a few weeks away from gathering inside the church building turned into over a year of connecting on Zoom, conference calls, social media, and drive in services. Schools have changed the way instruction takes place with either virtual, in person or both. For those of us who work in education, we had no idea that day in March  would be the last day we would see students in person for months to a year. Businesses changed hours and shut down temporarily and had to adjust the way they reached their clients and customers. Time spent with family and friends looked different (and still does!). The way we connect with people in general has changed. We have had to meet new people in different and creative ways by virtual or safely and social distancing in person. Some of the best connections I have made was during 2020! We went beyond the norm in interactions. Beyond the normal means going out of our comfort zone and doing things we may not normally do. In John 4, we see Jesus going beyond the norm when he talked to a woman in Samaria at the well. Verse 4 tells us that "He had to travel through Samaria." The town he was in was called Sychar. You see, there were some things we had to go through and some people we had to meet in 2020. They allowed us to see life and situations from a different perspective. Jesus went beyond the norm because He as a Jew was not supposed to talk to the woman, who was a Samaritan according to society's standards back then (v.9). Jesus began the conversation with a simple request, "Give me a drink." (v.7). I'm sure the woman thought it was strange he started talking to her. However, the more Jesus talked to her, the more open she became to the conversation and saw He wanted to help her. In fact, she was so excited that she went into the town and told everyone she could to come see Jesus because He told her everything she did (v.29). When we have good news, it's too good to keep to ourselves!! Since she was open to having a conversation with someone different than her, her life was changed and so was others. In verse 39, we see many of the Samaritans believed in Jesus because of what she said. Who has crossed our path lately? Who do we need to connect with? You never know who's on the other side of the post, story, video that's being listened to and read on social media. You never know who needs the card, email, text or phone call you make. Jesus didn't let what the woman thought of him or had done in the past stop Him from talking to her. He still had compassion. He still showed love. He met her where she was, but didn't want her to leave out of His presence the same way. He wanted her to leave better. We should also want people to leave our presence better. Are we using opportunities to help and encourage others or are we letting them slip away? Ephesians 5:15-16 tells us to make the most of our opportunities and be wise. 2020 was a year that definitely took us beyond the normal way of doing life. When the pandemic ends, don't stop going beyond the norm. We are called to do extraordinary things because we serve an extraordinary God. Let's remember people cross our path for a reason and encourage them or help them in some way. Just like the people in the town of Sychar was changed, our lives can be changed too. And it all starts with going beyond the norm. Are you willing to take that step today? You never know what and who's on the other side, so keep going. Change is waiting on the other side!