Caught Up In the Mundane
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2
If you are ever looking for spiritual growth, Jenny Allen has some of the greatest video Bible studies. My sorority chooses to do a different one every semester. One of my favorites was her series on being restless. There was one video that especially stuck with me.
She started by asking, “What holds you back?” I thought this was a brilliant question. She understands that we are all capable of living for God, living to do wonderful things, and given the strength to do so through God. So what holds us back?
Sometimes it seems that when I have everything that I want, I feel the most restless. There are moments when I’m at my dream school, with the most amazing friends, studying awesome topics that I’m passionate about, knowing where my head will sleep at night and where my next meal will come from; yet, I’m empty inside. Why? How can I have everything I want and feel restless? Like I need more… Are we just not content beings?
Jenny continues by asking, “What if the most mundane parts of life were intentional? What if the worst parts of life were a place for God’s birth of a creation of something that is intentional in your life?” Wow.
It’s so true - moments that seem the most normal or boring tend to be the times when I see God the most. I see Him when I go on a beautiful hike in Sewanee, I feel His love when I’m having dinner with a bunch of my friends in the dining hall, I hear Him whenever I talk to my parents on the phone, and I sense His love for us at church.
Nothing special has to happen to recognize how great and powerful He is. God has big plans for us, but sometimes those plans might appear mundane. He gives us the opportunities, we are just asked to run with perseverance the race that is set before us with Jesus as our finish line.
I love thinking about life in this way. We might get caught up in the mundane and feel restless, or we can look at the average and find it extraordinary. Are you going to sit on the sideline and watch life pass by or are you going to hop up and run? God wants us to feel satisfied. He gives us so much that our cups overflow. We just have to live life with that perspective.
The smallest moments might give us the most satisfaction. This takes the pressure off of us to plan a wonderful life where we will have everything we want. Instead, we can run the race that God gives us with passionate strides aiming for the ultimate heavenly reward.