To all of us who are perfectly ordinary people, who in the mix of ordinary days may be hounded by the thought “What difference do I make? What is my purpose? What in the world is my calling?” If the thought has much opportunity to be pondered that is, depending on what your day entails….you know husband or wife stuff, maybe parent stuff but also work stuff, extended family stuff…in general life… the one Jesus came to give us abundantly.    

There is a thought that comes to me over and over and it is about “The Ordinaries” who may not bear a title or recognized position of authority, so find themselves feeling some way less important than those who do or those they look up to. We do naturally, read much of the big names in the Bible who were the Apostles and laid hands on the sick, seeing miracles, and we know of those who follow in like paths. But what if?

What if I am just a mom? Just a neighbor, employee, employer, son or daughter or volunteer someplace? What if my thing is gardening, cooking or fixing cars? “Let each of you abide in the calling in which you were called” (1 Corinthians 7:20) while not specifically addressing this does seem to me to be a principle to apply. Abide means to live in that place. Make a life in and from that place. Make it a place of life and from that place reach others with the love of God. This does not mean there is no room for improving ourselves and the lives of our families but unless you have a mandate from God to full time ministry, your ministry is where you are doing life primarily.    

A few years ago, I attended the memorial service of Betty, the Mother of one of my dear friends. A letter was read from a woman who had been a young girl when she came to know Betty. It brought this point home perfectly for me. The writer of the letter was a woman who was one of 14 children. Betty, over the years as she raised her own children, extended her life to this girl. She talked to her about her own love of our nation and stories of the places she grew up. She paid her to babysit also gently gave her shoes or clothing she had bought that were “too small” for herself, so she would have new things with out embarrassment. She came to know the Savior through Betty. Today this woman is a Pastor.    

While I strongly believe in the gifts and callings of God on our lives that can take notable forms, I submit to you this simple, lovely example of an ordinary person. In living her life in an ordinary way with that touch of normal every day loving others as she would love herself, the normal was made quite extraordinary in the long run.     

That sense of “there must be more, I am sure there is more”…very possibly there is, but use these days living them to the fullest in what your hand finds to do in the ordinary. Loving one another. Being kind to others. Lifting others up. Love the Lord. Live well in the now, a day at a time and God will lift you up when the time comes for that place of something more that you are sensing. This is the time of preparation for that place which is another note topic all together.

God Bless You!