A new Kind of Normal.

I’ve decided to give this another go….lets see if I do any better this time!

After months of being frustrated at how “normal” everything can seem just a day, or maybe even hours, after there has been some sort of trouble in Jos, I’ve come to the conclusion that as human beings, we need “normal”.

We all know how it feels to start a new school or job: To feel like we constantly have to take in new information and to have nothing familiar around us. It’s tiring! At times such as these, it can be difficult to see how we’ll ever get the hang of everything that so many people around us are making look so easy. However, one day, whether it is a few days or weeks later, it all just falls into place: Gradually things begin to feel “normal”.

That’s kind of what I feel has happened here in Jos, except in this situation the circumstances never stop changing. Before the first major trouble here in 2001, Jos was a peaceful city. Neighbours from different tribes and religions would share life together without fear of what one of them may turn round and do to the other.

Over the years, crisis after crisis has occurred. With each crisis, I expect people have felt slightly more resigned to the fact that there would be another; periods of unrest became “normal”.

Alongside this, has come a decreased tolerance for the “other side”. A city, which was once completely mixed is now almost completely polarised. It’s just “normal” that there are certain places you would not live because of your religion.

After years of on and off violence came the next stage: The bombs. When the first bombs occurred in Jos over the Christmas period of 2010 it was a big deal, and a long period of tension followed. A few months later there was the first suicide bomb attack in the country, and once again people were shocked. Over the passed 4 months there have been 5 bombs in Jos, but I haven’t missed a full day of work because of the trouble.

I think to say that everything is completely “normal” in Jos would be brushing over what is actually a pretty serious situation. However, all I’m trying to highlight is the way we adapt to survive. Yes, we have people working tirelessly on our behalf to get hold of every piece of information they can in order to make informed decisions about what is and isn’t deemed “safe” for us to do, but even their decisions seem to change in time, with no new information at hand.

For example, a bomb threat, with no timing, was given (or at least said to be given), regarding a certain building. For about a week everyone in our mission was advised to stay away from this building. However, in time people have returned. The threat has not changed, but people just need to get on with their “normal” life, having adjusted to the idea that the risk attached to being in this building has significantly increased.

In the bible we are called to be as “wise as serpents”. This includes being wise to the risks that surround us each day. We are also called to “not be anxious about anything, but to give all things to God through prayer and petition”. I find it amazing that even in the midst of uncertainty, God can calm any anxiety we may feel, and give us such a sense of peace, and assurance that the safest place to be is in His will, wherever that may take you. I believe that one method God uses to fill us with that peace is to help us adapt to the changing circumstances around us. He allows things to feel “normal” in the midst of craziness.