You Are So Normal

You Are So Normal

For we do not have a high priest [Jesus] who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses.

Hebrews 4:15, NIV

When I first became a mother I was overjoyed, but I was also a little (okay, a lot) overwhelmed. This may come as a shock, but motherhood was not everything I expected it to be. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids and am grateful for them, but parenting is really hard. I often wondered if I was doing it right, constantly questioning whether I could trust my judgment. Always wanting to do right by your kids can be stressful.

It was during this time that I found a group of moms in my area who surrounded me with love and support. As we met each week, I was relieved to learn that what I was feeling and experiencing as a mom was totally normal. That I was normal. They didn’t give me all the answers to my problems, and I still went home and struggled with raising my kids, but it helped me to know that I wasn’t alone. Other people had experienced and were experiencing the same things that I was. And somehow that was comforting.

Everyone goes through times in their lives when they wonder if they are the only one. One of the greatest acts of kindness we can extend toward others is letting them know they are not alone, that what they’re experiencing is normal. Whether it’s a life change like getting married or starting a family, moving to another part of the country, starting a new career, or dealing with a new health diagnosis, we all can feel a bit out of sorts at times, and being around others who’ve walked through a similar experience can be comforting.

Just as Jesus is able to empathize with our weaknesses and everything we experience in life, we can extend that same kindness toward others by letting them know that they are not alone.

—Kendra

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Encourage someone who is walking through an experience similar to what you are facing now or have faced in the past. Let them know they’re not alone and that what they’re going through is completely normal.