Last weekend, I shared a portion of my testimony at my church\u2019s worship night. When asked if I\u2019d be willing to participate, I felt some initial hesitation. Surely there were more intriguing life stories to tell \u2014 you know, testimonies that would keep the audience\u2019s attention! My conversion story, on the other hand, isn\u2019t all that exciting.<\/p>\n
My day-to-day life is also rather commonplace. I work, pay my bills, clean my house, do errands and laundry, and check in on my friends and family\u2026and social media, of course. Add in a few obligations and activities, and that\u2019s about it.<\/p>\n
It sounds kind of boring, doesn\u2019t it? But wouldn\u2019t you agree that most adults\u00a0live ordinary lives? Why do we tend to doubt, downplay or despise the average story?<\/p>\n
“Ordinary” wasn\u2019t pitched to us in our high school guidance counselors’ offices or in college information packets. Do you remember feeling and believing that you could do absolutely anything you set your mind to do? Oh, the places we\u2019d go! Opportunities abounded. We just needed to find ourselves and figure out our purpose. Then we\u2019d \u201cmake it\u201d and be happy.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t enough to graduate from college, accept an entry-level job, live simply and gradually work one\u2019s way into additional responsibilities. We desired the same lifestyles as our parents by age 30, and we definitely wanted to achieve a measure of success before pursuing marriage and parenting. Marriage became the capstone of experiences, not the cornerstone from which to build one\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
A spiritualized version was promoted to young singles, albeit subtly, in churches and college ministry groups. We were encouraged to \u201cdo big things for God\u201d \u2014 to live radical lives committed to our cause du jour<\/em>. Instead of worldly success, this narrative was tied to higher level holiness. Some of us idolized\u00a0missionaries, pastors or Christian influencers with best-selling books or popular podcasts. These individuals were top-shelf Christians with important callings and vocations.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t get me wrong. In addition to my personal leaders, I listen, read and glean from business gurus, Christian biographies and online sermons. We need these influential voices in both the secular and sacred spheres. God places men and women in corporations, pulpits and mission fields.<\/p>\n The point is that few Christians are called to serve in \u201cbig\u201d ways. The vast majority of us aren\u2019t career or religious superstars. We\u2019re meant to live ordinary lives of work, family and service in the church and neighborhood. This is a good thing!<\/p>\n Above all, I\u2019m convinced that God wants us to be faithful Christians no matter where we live or what we do to earn a living. After salvation, the \u201cwill of God\u201d for our lives is often linked in the Bible to ordinary practices such as seeking God, abiding in Him, gratitude, good works and a commitment to the slow and steady process of sanctification.<\/p>\n We\u2019re also encouraged to work heartily, utilize our gifts and talents to serve others, and be a witness to the world of Christ\u2019s love and mercy. Men and women who \u201csuit up and show up\u201d each morning and make themselves available to others as they go about their ordinary days are valuable members of God\u2019s kingdom and a blessing to those in their path.<\/p>\n The people who stand out the most to me nowadays are those who serve, inspire and guide a handful of people well (their family, small group and\/or staff, for instance) over the course of their lifetime. They\u2019re more akin to the tortoise than the hare. If additional influence comes, and it often does with good character, that\u2019s fine, but it\u2019s not necessary to live a meaningful life in the eyes of God and man.<\/p>\n Character simply matters more than high levels of influence. Instead of doing “big things for God,” we ought to allow God to do big things inside of us.<\/p>\n Accepting that our lives are ordinary doesn\u2019t mean that we\u2019re apathetic or lacking career drive or Christian zeal. It just means that we\u2019re not chasing after the wind or hustling for influence. We\u2019re more concerned with contentment.<\/p>\n In “Just Do Something,” author Kevin DeYoung clarifies this important distinction:<\/p>\n I\u2019m not arguing for complacency in or bitter resignation to your present circumstances. I am arguing for what the apostle Paul advocated: godliness with contentment. The two together form \u201cgreat gain,\u201d he declared (1 Timothy 6:6). Complacency and contentment are often confused, but there is a difference between the two. Contentment is saying, \u201cGod has me here for a reason, and if He never does anything different, I\u2019ll still serve and praise Him.\u201d Complacency is saying, \u201cThings will never change, so why bother trying?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n As one formerly drawn to the dynamic in both the work world and in the church, I\u2019m learning to relax into the grace of God and where He has me today. I\u2019m learning to be content in my very average story, and to be comfortable in sharing it\u2026even though it\u2019s fairly uneventful. I don\u2019t need to worry about success or impressing others. I can rest in knowing that God forgave my past, has a purpose for me today, and knows my future. That\u2019s a testimony worth sharing.<\/p>\n The same is true for you. It\u2019s OK to be ordinary! Don\u2019t mistake average for unimportant or unnecessary. When we faithfully live out the stories God is crafting for each one of us, average becomes awesome. The ordinary becomes extraordinary. I promise.<\/p>\n Have you felt pressure to succeed or \u201cdo big things\u201d for God? Have you found your \u201csweet spot\u201d of godliness with contentment? How will you live an ordinary life extraordinarily well?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Most adults live ordinary lives. Why do we tend to doubt, downplay or despise the average story?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":21226,"menu_order":0,"template":"","categories":[13,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13619","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ministry-service","category-spiritual-growth"],"yoast_head":"\nCharacter counts<\/h2>\n
Take a load off<\/h2>\n