Living in the Extraordinary Ordinary

There’s no such thing as an ordinary life. Obscure? Yes. Ordinary? No. I’m holding you by the shoulders and looking you in the eyes as I say this.

You are irreplaceable in God’s story. Your words matter. Your life matters.

You matter.

I don’t really care what you’ve done or how much you’ve messed up in your past, you are part of His story and your life matters.

You know what your scars are my friend? They’re badges of honor, proof of the battle. You may not have won every round but your scars prove just this…

…you were in the fight.

You may want big. You may want purpose or impact. You may want numbers and a platform. And most of us want to be seen and heard. We all want our lives to matter. It’s not essentially wrong, it’s simply human.

But it’s not always the best.

What does living an extraordinary life mean to you?

Think about your answer for a second. Is it multitudes hanging on your every word? Or maybe inventing something important or making a world-changing discovery? Is it being famous or fabulously wealthy? Having a best-selling book or a hit on the radio? A ministry or business impacting thousands?

All these pursuits can have a good purpose but most of us will live our lives in obscurity, not achieving our big dreams. We’ll likely abide in the small sphere where tiny acts of grace can still have a big impact. And where, ultimately, the big things often turn out to be tiny after all.

When Jesus took a towel and a basin of water and began washing His disciples feet, it was a small act but it’s impact still deeply moves us today and it’s example has changed the world and given us all a profound lesson of humility to follow.

As the sinful woman washed Jesus’ feet with hot tears and dried them with her hair, her gesture seemed insignificant in the grand scheme of things but her heartfelt act was born of a love so profound it was all she knew to do. She didn’t care a whit about recognition, she did it because she loved much. Her impact turned out to be huge and her act of worship is celebrated two thousand years later.

Can I be honest with you? Most days I feel like an outsider to the grand Christian story. How on earth can my small, unimportant, obscure life cause even a ripple in the giant pond of history? How can my life have any significant impact?

Most of us live ordinary lives. If we are following Christ, we do our best to follow God’s commands and it’s likely our lives go pretty much unnoticed. We don’t feel like we’re part of the ‘big story’. Our lives aren’t shaking nations, our platforms are small, we aren’t evangelizing thousands, not selling millions of books. We feel left out, unimportant, obscure.

But…hear me…no matter how ordinary or insignificant you think you are, your life matters. If you’re living for Christ and making His name known in your small sphere then you’re impacting the world in bigger ways than you can imagine.

You count. And what you do counts too. Your quiet life is critical to the story God is unfolding. Your living and writing, your quiet serving and child-rearing, your giving and sacrificing, as small as it may be, is sending out ripples. Be assured ripples can turn into tidal waves.

You are irreplaceable in God’s story. What you do matters.

Your words matter. Your life matters.

YOU matter.

I’ve always loved the small, easy to miss details the Bible shares with us about Jesus and His life. The everyday things. I love all the miracles and amazing things too, but Jesus just seemed to breathe such life into the everyday moments, He left us a great lesson.

I’m all about the big God things, those moments when He stuns you with His future. I believe in big God Dares for you and your children. I adore how He brings The God Dare into your life and alters you forever. In fact, I’ve written a whole book about it!

But the big God things take time. And sometimes, in our rush for big purpose, big ministry, big world-changing accomplishments, we can miss the small.

the little.

the insignificant.

We become so focused on the future we miss right now. We forget an important truth:

Big lives are found in lots of small moments.

Just as a symphony is thousands of little notes and a great painting filled with innumerable brush strokes, our lives consist of millions of small but profound moments.

Jesus lived the biggest small life in history. He walked. He taught. He built. He wept. He ate. He healed. He laughed. He led. He cried. He loved. He found beauty in the small.

His big miracles can overshadow His small moments but there’s much His small moments teach us because His small moments are saturated with holy significance. So many examples are in the word when we search for the small.

He washed feet. He ate with Pharisees. He spent time at a well teaching one rejected woman about worship. He settled disagreements between disciples. He took time to bless children and ministered to a woman who sat at His feet. He paid taxes. He walked with the disciples. He prayed on a mountain. He went sailing. He cooked fish on a sandy sea shore. He attended a wedding. He ate and drank with sinners and saints.

And in everything He did, He breathed on each small moment to teach us big lessons. 

His ordinary moments still teach extraordinary truths today. He shows us how to live purposely, intentionally, steadily advancing toward the goal but not missing the journey.

Because small things make a big impact.

The touch of a hand, the encouraging phone call, making time for a friend, giving a hug. The handwritten note or basket of homemade muffins. The lullaby deep in the night, the carpools and housework, the teaching and training, the advice or counsel lovingly shared. All small but significant. The little things we do absolutely change the world around us.

While waiting for the big, don’t neglect the small.

Follow His footsteps and find the beauty in the small in all the everyday moments. He’ll show you the way. 

Christ lived His life in the small sphere but every small thing He did speaks to us today and still has big impact. Because Jesus lived the extraordinary ordinary. He used mud and spit to bring sight to a blind man, bread and fish to feed thousands, a word and a touch to expel demons. Small acts that all had world changing impact.

We go to work each day and let our lives be a witness of grace, we raise our children to know and love the Lord, we volunteer to help the least of these and we shine as lights in our communities, loving and serving with no expectations.

And as we do that, we too can experience His extraordinary grace as we live the ordinary every day.

What extraodinary ordinary thing are you doing? I’d be delighted to pray for you!

Hugs!

xoxo

Kate