One of the beautiful things I appreciate about movies is that they provide unique circumstances of how life unfolds. There are either very many highs or equally many lows. Whichever the case, they create moments that provide certain perspectives about how life should happen. But when it comes to living it out, things are very different – things just keep changing – it can never just be all good or bad.
When life is really good, it gets us on track with God. We keep reminiscing about His goodness. We naturally flow with thanksgiving, becoming beings of gratitude. We begin to understand God’s love as a father through His provision, healing, and protection. These are the places where God teaches us to remain humble when pride is closest to our hearts. When life becomes harder, it keeps us close to God for the opposite reasons. We get good at interceding. We become cognizant of other people’s struggles because we relate to their hard times. We find time for God because of the heaviness in our hearts. We begin to understand that side of God that is love, comfort, and closeness. The hard times can really allow us to see more of God’s love as a friend than ever before.
But what about the rest of the time? What is life when you do not have many highs or lows?
What becomes of your relationship with God when you have no dire situations causing you to fast or pray for more than 5 minutes? What becomes your testimony when everyone starts asking how you are doing? ’Cause the truth is that you are okay, but nothing quite spectacular is going on.
I have come to learn that life is more relatable if we are going through difficult times or experiencing incredible miracles. People like to be around such stories – there is a story to tell. But at a given point, seasons have to change, and if we are not careful, we will be contemptuous just like the Israelites in the wilderness.
I listened to Pastor Stephanie Ike explain how casually we can take miracles because they became ordinary. When the children of Israel were in the wilderness, God continuously provided manna. Every day, without fail, there was food on the table – well, the ground. God’s faithfulness did not fail them once. They knew to always wake up to a prepared table. They remained fed for 40 years without fail. However, that life of miracles became ordinary. They needed more. It is why they started rebelling and going after idol gods.
Although I would want to point fingers at them, there have been times than I can count where I have been just like them. While I have not received manna for that long a period, I’ve had my share of God’s protection and favor in my life. I see God’s goodness around me. But unless extremes are happening, it’s hard to keep my focus on them. Normal life becomes mundane. Sometimes I question whether it has something to do with me not understanding the concept of peace.
You see, when you have been in a storm for such a long time, a peaceful day is all you pray for. But if the storm completely ends and your life becomes peaceful, it gets unsettling. I guess it’s human nature to crave adrenaline rush even if it means being in danger.
I know you do not want to be in another difficult period of your life – COVID-19 did a number on all of us. But I know you would appreciate another spectacular God moment in your life – and there is nothing wrong with that. The problem is if you overlook the blessing of the ‘boring’.
If everything is running as smoothly as it should, it is spectacular – even though it’s mundane. If you have no serious problem that keeps you in a fast and on your knees, it is just as spectacular.
The normal and rather mundane seasons of life are the best time to have a relationship with God. When things are too good, the focus is on telling people about the greatness of God. When things are too difficult, it encourages the gathering together of brethren to pray and seek God’s face. But when everything is okay, normal, and typical, that’s the only moment we can be intentional about being in communion with God.
I think about how Jesus prayed and spoke provision, healing, and deliverance over people He met – it was always from a place of gratitude to God. Then I think about His prayer at the face of His crucifixion and death – it was a desperate prayer. None of those moments were key to Him being in a perfect relationship with God. The crucial moments were when He would sneak from the crowd and be alone with God. There was nothing, in particular, to ask Him for – it was always about spending time with God.
If your life is mundane, don’t be too quick to chase the next miracle. Miracles are in daily life – even when they are ordinary. Instead, use that time to seek out a relationship with God. Your intentions will be pure because you have few petitions and more communion with God.
Moses stood out from the Israelites in the wilderness was because he was constantly talking with God. He went into the tent of meeting many times. He inquired of God for the people. He went up Mt. Sinai to talk with God. All this time, the Israelites only enjoyed manna, waiting for the next big thing to happen. It is why the people always turned back to God when enemies rose against them.
Your story can be different. Those mundane days are not boring – they are quality time you can invest in your relationship with God. In those moments of growing in a relationship, you can surrender the feelings of ingratitude and He will begin to show you the blessing in each day. These are the days you fast, just because. You pray, just because. You worship, just because. It is all because you want a relationship with God! Soon enough, your perspectives will change. When you have been with God enough, even the chirping of the birds becomes a high in your life. God would allow you to see the beauty in every little thing. Your senses would be sharpened to miracles that you would otherwise not notice. I pray that you realize how miraculous your mundane is.