Societal norms. Ever hear the term? According to Dictionary.com, it means “an established standard of behavior shared by members of a social group to which each member is expected to conform.”
These established standards are based generally upon the majority of the population of a defined area. This defined area can be as small as one household – isn’t a family unit a social group where one is expected to conform to rules of behavior? – or can include a much larger area such as a city, state or country.
Our behavior in society is governed by laws – both God-given and man-made – and to break one of these will usually involve dealings with law enforcement and the judicial system. Yet there are other behaviors that we have learned through the examples shown us while we were growing up that are viewed as acceptable (or
non-acceptable) within that particular society. The breaking of these rules of behavior may not mean a stint inside the penal system, yet to do so could result in
rejection by those we interact with within that particular group.
Rules of behavior aside, there are those who operate on the fringes of societal norm for other reasons. I call these ‘fringe people.’ These are the ones who do not fit into the ‘proper’ statistic categories as do the average number of most of the people within our society at any given time. Some live on the fringe by choice, but many more are there due to circumstances beyond their control. Everything from illness, the death of a loved one, pregnancy / miscarriage, separation / divorce, to physical
challenges and job loss can cause a person to live on the fringe of their usual
circle of daily society.
Why? Because they are different now than others in their group, and dealing with those who have had unexpected circumstances come into their life causes us to take extra time and expend greater effort in interacting with those affected. Too, it’s because we honestly cannot relate to someone in a specific situation if we haven’t been there ourselves. We shy away from thinking about it because it could be too painful to imagine ourselves in their shoes; because we simply don’t know what to say or do to truly help the one hurting; or because we have been there and refuse to feel that pain and frustration of our past again.
There have always been ‘fringe people’ on this earth – the undesirables, the sick, the lepers, prostitutes, and tax collectors – yet these are the very same ones that Jesus purposefully interacted with time and again as He walked this earth. When chastised for it by the religious leaders – those elite in society – He answered them,
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Luke 5:31
The sick Jesus spoke of here were not only sick in body, but also sick at heart, sick in their circumstances, and sick to death (literally) in their spiritual state. They had been ostracized by the societal norm, ridiculed and ignored, yet He sought them out and met them where they existed along the edges of society. As a result, they were
never the same again.
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Jesus came so that we could all have life. He doesn’t want us living on the fringes while in our sick and hurting state, nor does He want us to die in a lost spiritual condition. He wants us to have life to the full!
Dear Soul, He has not forgotten you. You are so precious to Him and He understands more fully than anyone else can where the circumstances of life have brought you. He doesn’t want you to feel alone and longs for you to invite Him into your life so that He can shoulder the burdens you carry. He’s waiting for you.
(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)
These established standards are based generally upon the majority of the population of a defined area. This defined area can be as small as one household – isn’t a family unit a social group where one is expected to conform to rules of behavior? – or can include a much larger area such as a city, state or country.
Our behavior in society is governed by laws – both God-given and man-made – and to break one of these will usually involve dealings with law enforcement and the judicial system. Yet there are other behaviors that we have learned through the examples shown us while we were growing up that are viewed as acceptable (or
non-acceptable) within that particular society. The breaking of these rules of behavior may not mean a stint inside the penal system, yet to do so could result in
rejection by those we interact with within that particular group.
Rules of behavior aside, there are those who operate on the fringes of societal norm for other reasons. I call these ‘fringe people.’ These are the ones who do not fit into the ‘proper’ statistic categories as do the average number of most of the people within our society at any given time. Some live on the fringe by choice, but many more are there due to circumstances beyond their control. Everything from illness, the death of a loved one, pregnancy / miscarriage, separation / divorce, to physical
challenges and job loss can cause a person to live on the fringe of their usual
circle of daily society.
Why? Because they are different now than others in their group, and dealing with those who have had unexpected circumstances come into their life causes us to take extra time and expend greater effort in interacting with those affected. Too, it’s because we honestly cannot relate to someone in a specific situation if we haven’t been there ourselves. We shy away from thinking about it because it could be too painful to imagine ourselves in their shoes; because we simply don’t know what to say or do to truly help the one hurting; or because we have been there and refuse to feel that pain and frustration of our past again.
There have always been ‘fringe people’ on this earth – the undesirables, the sick, the lepers, prostitutes, and tax collectors – yet these are the very same ones that Jesus purposefully interacted with time and again as He walked this earth. When chastised for it by the religious leaders – those elite in society – He answered them,
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Luke 5:31
The sick Jesus spoke of here were not only sick in body, but also sick at heart, sick in their circumstances, and sick to death (literally) in their spiritual state. They had been ostracized by the societal norm, ridiculed and ignored, yet He sought them out and met them where they existed along the edges of society. As a result, they were
never the same again.
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Jesus came so that we could all have life. He doesn’t want us living on the fringes while in our sick and hurting state, nor does He want us to die in a lost spiritual condition. He wants us to have life to the full!
Dear Soul, He has not forgotten you. You are so precious to Him and He understands more fully than anyone else can where the circumstances of life have brought you. He doesn’t want you to feel alone and longs for you to invite Him into your life so that He can shoulder the burdens you carry. He’s waiting for you.
(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)
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