I was laying in bed late last night when Oprah popped on the screen and said:
"Whatever you're gonna do- do something that matters."
Now Oprah doesn't usually show up on my tv at 1am, so I took this as a sign from God that we might have been on to something with this past Sunday's teaching conversation. I mean if Ms. Winfrey agrees, we must be on the right track, right?
Ok, maybe she wasn't speaking on God's behalf- but Oprah was expressing one of the deep desires of the human heart: We want to do something significant. To make a difference. To do something that matters. Our problem however, as many of us see it, is that we aren't significant people. We're ordinary folks, living in ordinary places, doing ordinary things.
Sometimes we look at the people in the Bible for inspiration. What do we find? Colorful people, living in exciting places, doing amazing things. "Oh well", we shrug, "Significance must not be in the cards for us."
And then we happen upon the Christmas story. A story so significant that it warrants a month long party and whose participants get memorialized on more front lawns and on mantles than you can count. And what do we learn? Significance can look pretty ordinary.
SIGNIFICANCE HAPPENS IN MIDDLE OF THE ORDINARY
I love the outdoors. When I'm out in nature I feel connected to God in a way that doesn't happen in my man-made world. So far my favorite spot to enjoy creation is the corner of Wyoming that's home to Jackson Hole, the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone Ntl Park. There's something about that majestic spot that resonates with a deep place in my soul.
But I'd be kidding myself if I thought that was the ONLY place I could enjoy the outdoors. The Appalachain Trail is just a few hours west of my home. The Outer Banks a few hours east. The metro area I reside in has several
beautiful lakes. And there's a nicely wooded walking trail at the end of my street. I don't have to go somewhere special to enjoy creation. I can stay put in my ordinary life. Isn't it the same with God?
Think about where each of the players in the Christmas story was when God found them: Zechariah and the shepherds were working. Mary was at home. Joseph was in bed. The Magi were studying. Talk about ordinary. God doesn't need us to go somewhere special to do something great. He can- and most likely will- use us right where we are.
SIGNIFICANCE LOOKS ORDINARY
Malcolm Gladwell's latest book, Outliers, challenges our understandings of what makes a person successful. One fascinating chapter chronicles
the rule of 10,000. Hours that is. Gladwell pulls together several studies that suggest that people who become world class at something (music, business, athletics, chess, etc) all spend about 10,000 hours on their craft. That's 20 hours a week for 10 years. And all this time I've believed that the people who do something significant are just that much better than everyone else. If Gladwell is right, they just work and practice much longer and harder than anyone else. And practice often looks pretty ordinary.
What does God ask the people in the Christmas story to do? Ordinary stuff: Have a baby. Take a trip. Sneak away from work to see something interesting. The people do the ordinary stuff. God does the amazing stuff.
Significance happens when ordinary people do ordinary things with an extraordinary God. What does God ask us to do? Take care of each other. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Visit the lonely. Listen. Hug. Share what we have. Tell His story. Speak up when we see someone being taken advantage of. All ordinary stuff, right? What makes the difference is that God works through our ordinary efforts.
SIGNIFICANCE MOSTLY FEELS ORDINARYIf it were left up to us, everything would feel great. Every church gathering would give us goose bumps. We'd hear God speak directly to us every time we opened up the scripture. We'd feel a deep sense of kinship whenever we hung out with other followers of Jesus. Every act of service or help would feel rewarding. But it doesn't work that way, does it? Most of the time life feels....well, ordinary.
Don't you think it worked the same way with the people who played significant parts in the Christmas story? Didn't the parenting of newborns mostly feel tiring and routine? Wasn't much of the Magi's trip uneventful and maybe even a bit boring? Sure. Mountaintop moments are so named because there is a high point- as well as a way up and a way down, and probably a lot of plateau as well.
Just because we don't feel like we are making a difference doesn't mean that God isn't using us to do something important. A year ago a few folks in our church community got to know a guy named Rob. We liked him. Rob asked for some help and friendship and we did our best to give both. After a couple of months, Rob pulled away. We felt like we hadn't made much of a difference for him. Last weekend I got an email from Rob telling me that he had decided to follow Jesus. I was floored. Didn't see that coming at all. While I'm sure that God used a bunch of folks to love Rob towards Jesus, I think that we played a small part as well. It didn't feel like it at the time, but God was using our meager efforts to help change a life. Amazing.
TRY IT:The next time you see a nativity scene or read the Christmas story thank God for His propensity to use ordinary people like us. Right where we are. With what we have to offer. Regardless of the accompanying emotions.
Want to do something that matters this week? Pray each day and ask God to help you do this:
So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.
(Romans 12:1, The Message)
REFLECT:Q: Do you agree that most people want to spend their life doing something that matters? Why/Not? Do you feel this way?
Q: What reasons (or excuses) come to mind as to why you couldn't do something significant for God and others? Does this look at the Christmas story challenge any of those?
Q: Why are we tempted to imagine that the important stuff would happen somewhere else- and not in our daily lives?
Q: Based on what you know about Jesus' life and teachings- what kinds of actions are significant in His eyes?
Q: Do you think people are seeking to do something that makes a difference- or to feel like they are making a difference? Are they the same thing?
