Ode to the Ordinary

I once knew someone who seemed to fixate on the next big thing, whatever it was, in his life. He was always talking about the next concert, the next trip, what the next grand experience would be. Yet when it came to his everyday life—his college classes, everyday interactions with friends, and the ordinary aspects of life—this person always seemed to have a sort of dread. He thrived on the extraordinary but couldn’t seem to enjoy the mundane. 

Perhaps you can relate. You look forward to the next family vacation, the next break from work, the next big game, but your everyday life does anything but excite you. Going to church, doing your job, spending time with your spouse and children just all feels so…routine, and you long for something more. 

While these feelings may be normal, when we view our life from a Heavenly perspective, it changes our attitude. We must understand that every day of our lives is a gift from God. Every moment is an opportunity to live for and glorify our Lord. The ordinary days are not just periods of time to get through so that we can move on to the next fun time. Rather, these are when real life happens! The most beautiful, wonderful moments of our lives are, for the most part, not composed of these mountaintop experiences. Instead, they are the meals shared with family, the friendships we form at our jobs, the questions we are asked by our children, and the chances we have to serve or share the gospel with someone. 

There is nothing wrong with looking forward to events or being excited about something enjoyable approaching. However, this should not be all we look forward to in life. Let us find joy in the ordinary, for there is joy to be discovered in it! That is where life really happens, and when we look back, we will see just how much the ordinary moments meant and made up our lives. 

“I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.” Ecclesiastes 3:12–13