Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs
ABOVE THE NORMAL
Yesterday we talked about building a magnificent home for God. But there’s more! Do you notice that the Bible constantly uses adjectives? Nothing about God is average and therefore the Bible needs adjectives to describe God’s plan for us.
It’s not enough to build a magnificent home for God. We should build an EXCEEDINGLY magnificent home. The word "exceeding" in the Hebrew is "ma'al" and means "above, very high, the upper part." This word, "ma'al" is translated "above" 53 times and "upward" 59 times! It means “above the normal.”
We must change gears in our brain from building a home that is like every other home around us. Instead, let’s build homes that are ABOVE the normal, above the mediocre, and above the status quo. Let’s build homes that not only subsist from day to day, but overflow in every area of our family lives. This is the lifestyle God intends for us (John 10:10). Let’s get out of the rut. Let’s get away from the boring and normal.
Sadly, in the average home today, members like to do their own thing. Each one is going here and there. Each one is geared to their iPhone. But in the “above the norm” home, family members give time to one another—to work together, interreact together, eat together, and share together. They are a family unit, not fragmented from one another.
In the average home, there are more TVs in the home than children. The "above the norm" home has more children than TVs.
In the average home, most families don’t sit together at the family meal table. In the “above the normal” home, they delight to meet at the family table each day—to eat and communicate together.
In the average home, most families are so busy that they don’t get time to have family Bible reading and worship together. In the “above the normal” home, they make everything else fit around their morning and evening times to pray and read God's Word together.
In the average home, there is often bickering and fighting. In the "above average" home, the siblings are friends rather than fighting with one another.
In the average home, most families live to themselves. In the "above average" home, they love to open their home in hospitality. They love to invite others to share their meals. They enjoy food, gladness, and laughter as they share with others.
In the average home, they spend much of their time running here and there to sports and extra-curricular activities. In the “above the normal” home they spend more productive time at home. They are continually thinking of ways to strengthen their family unit, rather than weaken it.
It’s so normal to be average. Are you ready to go a step further and build an “ABOVE THE AVERAGE” home?
Be blessed, Nancy Campbell
