You ever have one of those times in life where everywhere you turn, you keep hearing the same thing? You ever wonder if maybe, just maybe, the God of the universe is trying to communicate something to you? Yep, that’s me right now. The thing is that the more I think about it, I don’t think I’m alone in needing to hear this, so I’m gonna share it with you.
I’ve been studying “Esther” by Beth Moore, reading “The Me I Want to Be” by John Ortberg, “Mad Church Disease” by Anne Jackson and “Forgotten God” by Francis Chan–in short snippets, of course. I don’t really have a ton of extra-curricular time to read. Yet even in the midst of those small pockets of time I’ve had to read, God has spoken clearly over and over again such a simple concept. I wish I had all of these books sitting around me at this exact moment so I could just quote the heck out of them, but I fear that if I did, this post would be really, really long because there is just so much good stuff to meditate on and share with you! Instead I will do my best to just speak from my heart about what I hear Him saying.
What He’s been talking to me about is His will for my life. What I wanted to hear Him say was something huge. Some big, noble thing He wants me to do with my life–like adopt all 144 million orphans, move to Africa and feed the poor, evangelize to every single neighbor within a 10 mile radius or at the very least, to write a best-seller book (maybe about sex!). Not something that really had to be noticed, just something that would help lots of people. But that’s not what He said.
I was a bit deflated. He said that His will for my life was simple. He wanted me to live my life abudantly each day by the power of His Spirit. What? That’s it? I thought. But Lord, I thought you wanted me to live my life to my fullest potential and to not miss what I’m here on earth to do? Right? This is what your Word says (like as if He really needed me to remind Him),
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10
What He’s gently been reminding me is that He made me to be exactly who I am and He DOES have me here for a divine purpose, but if I live my life always pursuing after some elusive dream of what He will do with my life in the future then I’m missing out on the great things He has given me to do today. Do you see what I’m saying? If I’m always living in the future then when will I live in today? I think we spend so much of our time seeking after His future purpose (or sometimes we call it something fancy like “His will for my life”) and who we think we are supposed to become that we miss out on today. We miss out on the treasure of who we currently are and who He’s placed in our life to minister to today.
We seem to think that we’re here to do “great things for God” and all the rest of this stuff is just rudimentary. Yet the great things of God are really in the small acts of doing the impossible by the power of His Spirit day after day. It seems backward, but I think that doing that “big stuff” is actually easier than the small stuff, yet it’s success in the small stuff that makes Him smile just as big–if not more. It’s easy to feel a divine call to do something noble and feel His Spirit as we do things that others will notice, but it’s not so easy to feel anything divine about wiping snotty noses, making one more mug of tea with honey for a coughing child, helping with school work and washing clothes day after day. I think the smile on His face is just as big when He sees me rely on His Spirit to keep my sarcasm to myself when it’s been a long day and my patience is wearing thin. He smiles when, in that same moment, I take a deep breath and whisper a prayer as I tuck in my children with a smile instead of barking at them for calling my name yet again. Or what about those times when everyone is tucked in and I hear the sound of little footsteps coming down the stairs in need of medicine and I do it with grace instead of impatience because this is “my time”–His smile must be huge.
You see, I’ve gotta just leave the big stuff to God. Yes, He’s got works for me to do that He prepared in advance. Yes, He wants me to increase my faith, but maybe, just maybe it’s in the small things of each day when we trust Him to do the impossible like love the darling little faces He’s given us to raise–that is where true greatness lies. That is where our faith really beefs up its muscle because any mom knows that the demands on us are relentless. It’s easy to become weary and begin to respond out of our flesh and not out of His Spirit.
Mama Friend, do great things for God, but focus in on doing great today. Don’t spend so much of your time tending to the things outside your house via your computer that need to be done for next week. Don’t get wrapped up in the “to-do” list because that list will find a way to still be long tomorrow no matter how much you get done today. Stop to read a book to your child. Wipe your child’s face and take the time to look into their eyes. Get down on your knees and hug the child that can’t seem to stop whining and crying today, instead of ignoring them. Avert your eyes from Facebo*k and watch the 100th magic trick your son wants to show you, all the while applauding his genius, and have a good laugh while your daughter tells you more knock-knock jokes because she’s a real character. Rely on His Spirit to get through the day after day–moment by moment, if that’s what you need. Those are the great things of God.
And one more thing, if you find yourself getting weary before it’s ever time for lunch, do the greatest thing you can do–find a quiet place–even if it’s in the bathroom and even if the time is short–stop in to clear your head and talk to the Lord. Get a bit more fuel from His Spirit to get through your day. That, my friend, is how true greatness is accomplished.
Such wonderful words of wisdom. Making the common and everyday stuff holy is what makes daily life beautiful.