God In The Ordinary

Like you, I'm up to my elbows in dirty diapers and dishwater. But this isa gift. It's simply a matter of choosing to see it.

If I only experience God in the fleeting moments of spiritual ecstasy, I am bound to live a rather mediocre Christian life. I need to experience God in the ordinary. I need to experience God in the smallest moments of daily existence. It's my choice to perceive these moments as mundane or as meaningful.

When I sang all to Jesus I surrender did I know that meant giving up the right to shower uninterrupted? Or a full night of sleep? Or flawless skin and nails? Before I had kids, I imagined fitting them into my life. Boy was I dumb.

Motherhood has brought me to the practical understanding that my life is not my own. I am bought with a price.

Surrendering myself in obedience to God results in a miraculous redemption.

Suddenly, each ordinary moment glistens with eternal implication. An attitude of praise transforms the mundane into the transcendent.

I know it doesn't feel that way most of the time. But as I look back on what Christ has done in my life since I became a mother, I can see His unmistakable imprint redeeming each tiny moment for His own purpose.

Sometimes all I can do is cry out to Him: Father, help me now as I wash this baby, grant me grace in this moment to trust You, to serve You joyfully, to smile when I feel like snapping at the children.

I don't get all fancy when I have these simple conversations with God. It's an ongoing conversation, fragments of sentences, whispers of yearning, a few notes of praise. I don't make it complicated.

I just hang onto Him, I hang onto God In the Ordinary.

And He holds me in the palm of His hand.

He's holding you, too. Reach out to Him in faith, He will catch you.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8