Moving in Ordinary Ways

Our ordinariness is, in fact, extraordinary. (click for the previous story) When we view ourselves as magnificently created beings, we realize our greatness comes from our maker and the one whom we choose to follow. We are not great alone, but in our connectedness, first with God and then each other, we can live with extraordinary purpose. To reach our potential, purpose, and fulfilled-ness we must find our way back to the path in which we were intended to tread. The hope is that our vision will clear so that we can see our Abba and let Him guide us in our ordinary days and ordinary ways toward His extraordinary plans.

“Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.”

Joshua 1:16

God is a leader. A leader who asks us to look back so that we can go forward. Behind us lies evidence of faithfulness giving us the confidence to blindly place one foot in front of the other and walk into whatever darkness befalls our path. (Joshua 4:1-7)
He’s also a shepherd who guides; never leaving our side as he points us to the resources and confidence we need. (Psalm 23; John 10:11-18)
He leads as a King who conquers; fighting our battles and slaying our enemies so his Kingdom may be victorious. (1 John 5:2-5)
He’s teaching us, through Christ, the way in which we should go. Christ is our motivation for going, sharing and loving outside of our natural inclinations. (John 14:6-14)
And as a Lord who commands He is sending us to unfamiliar territories and situations with courage. (Joshua1:6-9)

As leader and commander of our lives, God’s bestowed upon us, his followers, the call to take up our cross and bear in Christ’s suffering so that some may come to faith—including ourselves. (Philippians 3:7-15)

This is where we get stuck. If we see our lives as ordinary, doing something ‘exciting’ for God, then we believe we aren’t contributing to this general call.

But…

These attributes of God empower us because they encompass the Kingdom of God which is living and active in our lives. “Because the Kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:21

Momentous in nature, the Kingdom is coming. It’s been mobilized, engaged within your soul. As a follower marked by the Cross through Baptism, you are no longer your own. You are set apart for a greater purpose. Carrying the Kingdom in this movement means God is leading, guiding, moving you toward completion in your ordinary life whether you believe you see it coming to pass or not. Your redeemed life alone is this reality coming to pass and everything you do, touch, see, and interact with each day is being touched by these truths.

God WILL move you, even in Ordinary Life

Though God in his nature remains the same, He is constantly moving. Throughout the Old and New Testament, God commanded his sheep to move. Obedience to go can be willingly like Abraham or reluctantly like Jonah, nonetheless movement is the constant undercurrent of the Bible. The moment Adam and Eve exited the garden our repentant pilgrimage began. God’s set on restoring our rightful place with Him as a good shepherd seeking us out, a King defeating our enemy and teacher enlightening our darkened state so that we may press on toward the goal of complete restoration of ourselves and others.

As a God who leads, He not only moved Abraham but Jacob and the tribes, Moses and Joshua, the Israelites in exile, Joseph and Mary, the disciples, and early believers all migrated. The movement continues through God’s commission to our present day. The longest running and largest mass migration are God’s people on his mission toward fulfillment of the Kingdom of God: alive in you; a prolific odyssey. We may not be physically moving, but the world is definitely moving toward us and God never ceases to grow his purposes in our sanctification process.

We can move with Him or remain stagnant. Though history shows that reluctance leads to forced action. He’s moving with or without us, yet like a good leader, He pushes us out of our comfort zone and like a good Father, He doesn’t want us to miss out on the adventure. I don’t know about you, but the idea of following a God who has a plan and is moving toward a change in our world seems refreshing to me. It’s even more exciting to know I am part of the change when I often feel helpless in making a difference.

These movements most definitely happen in our ordinary days. We are living purposefully through conversations, reading scripture, communion with our fellow brothers and sisters, prayer, choosing to show love to our neighbor, raising our children, doing our jobs with integrity, inviting others into our lives, giving our hobbies to God with praise, and serving through something as simple as washing the dishes.