Ordinary Faithfulness
Do you ever struggle with feeling just plain ORDINARY? Each morning you wake up, and follow the same routine as yesterday. Tomorrow will be the same. Finally the weekend arrives, but even that seems to be a repeat of the last. Then, before you even realize it, months have passed you by.
Are you in a season of discouragement or discontentment? Perhaps the throes of parenting, a busy season at work/school/ministry, or caring for aging parents has put a limit on your time? Are you struggling just to make ends meet? Or perhaps you are facing a physical challenge that is tapping your strength. Consequently, for whatever reason, your mental and physical energies are meager at best.
Looking around, it seems that everyone else has such amazing opportunities. They have the education, special abilities, social connections, charisma, etc. that you find yourself lacking. Their lives seem so exciting compared to yours. There is no doubt that God must be using them in big ways. Their lives surely do not seem common, boring or ordinary. Meanwhile, we wonder, “Am I making a difference at all? Is my life meaningful?”
“God has not called me to be successful, He called me to be faithful”
mother theresa
Defining Faithfulness
We struggle to see how God is using us in our times of boring routines and ordinary living. The menial tasks cannot be what life is all about. However, these mundane seasons can be opportunities for us to practice living by faith and not by sight (Habakkuk 2:4). We can practice faithfulness despite feeling discouraged: even when life seems just plain ORDINARY. Wikipedia defines FAITHFULNESS as–the concept of remaining unfailingly loyal to someone or something and putting that loyalty into consistent practice, regardless of extenuating circumstances. Literally, it is the state of being full of faith; it is the sense of steady devotion to a person, thing or concept.
The Bible applies the concept of faithfulness to both God and man. Zondervan’s Bible Dictionary states that God’s attribute of Faithfulness refers to His ABSOLUTE reliability, firm constancy, and steadfast love toward His people. God cannot change; He cannot lie. He is faithful in keeping every one of His promises, and as a result, He is ENTIRELY worthy of our trust. We are even told in 2 Timothy 2:13, …if we are faithless, He remains faithful. Wow, what a God!!!
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,
for He who promised is faithful.”
Hebrews 10:23
Small Decisions Matter
I listened to a Podcast earlier this year from the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation on Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) The counselor discussed how some individuals can become so affected by it, the desire to participate in anything is a real struggle. In this emotional and mental state, the simple choice to get out of bed can be an act of Faithfulness. He explained that sometimes to keep facing the right direction, fixing our gaze on Christ, and not turning away from Him is to remain Faithful. I know I have had times in my life where it seemed all I could do was “face the right direction”. Are you able to relate?
The point is this: every little decision matters. Whether we are serving out on the foreign mission field, within our local communities, or simply doing life within the four walls of our homes; we have a choice to consistently put into practice our unfailing loyalty to God. EVERY interaction within our homes, at our workplaces, schools, churches, grocery stores, driving out on the road, or wherever, is another chance to relate to others as one who loves God and loves people the way He calls us to. Each decision we make concerning how we spend our time, energy or money is an opportunity to manage the resources we are blessed with in a biblical and God-honoring way.
“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”
Mother Theresa
Faithful Stewards
Jesus teaches us in the parable of the talents what we are responsible for. The story tells how each servant received different amounts from the master, according to his ability. Consequently, they were held accountable for what they did, or did not do, with what they had been given. Two out of the three heard, “… ‘Well done, good and faithful servant… You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ (Matthew 25:21) The third did nothing because he was afraid. He did not know his master’s heart. As a result, the master calls him wicked, lazy and the takes away even the little he had given him. Ultimately, he lost fellowship with the master.
You see, God calls us to be faithful with OUR life, not someone else’s. The issue is not about what we do not possess compared to everyone else. God calls us to be faithful stewards of what is ours. He is not comparing our life to others. Why do we? We must trust that He is Good. Our ordinary and seemingly unimportant circumstances are where He has allowed us to be for the moment, and He still calls us to be faithful in the mundane tasks of the every day. They really ARE important, for this is how we build our foundation of faith. Yet He understands our weaknesses and even sympathizes with them. Remember, He is Faithful, even when we are not.
“God is faithful and true. Confess your inability and His ability and keep your eyes on Him.”
Dr. David jeremiah
Small Becomes Much
The Bible is full of examples where God took every day, ordinary people and used them in extraordinary ways. Here are just a few.
- A fearful, unsure farmer overthrows an invading nation with only 300 men. (Judges 6-8)
- A widow with hardly any food, feeds a prophet while never having her flour & oil run out. (I Kings 17:8-16)
- A small shepherd boy with only a slingshot and a stone slays a warrior giant. (I Samuel 17)
- A simple, young, and unmarried virgin gives birth to the Savior of the world. (Luke 1:26-38)
- A young boy with merely 5 loaves and 2 fishes helped to feed a vast multitude.
- (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:33-44; Luke 9:12-17; John 6:1-15)
- A woman was healed by touching the robe of Jesus. (Mark 5:24-34)
So, what sets these faithful servants apart? I believe it started with a little decision. They chose to focus on God and His word, they relied on HIS power, and trusted in HIS plan. They did not stay focused on their own circumstances. Even though they could not always see or understand how everything would work out, they willingly surrendered themselves, obeyed and remained faithful. Because they were “full of faith” HE turned their little into much. Our faith, though it may be the size of a mustard seed, can make the impossible, possible. (Matthew 5:20-21)
Therefore, let us continue to remain faithful in our common, ordinary lives, remembering that every single decision and our seemingly small acts of faith, really do matter. We aren’t alone in our struggles and weakness. He who promised is faithful, and our ORDINARY becomes EXTRAORDINARY with our Sovereign, Almighty, and Faithful God!