+(800x638).jpg)
Somehow I managed to take an almost two month hiatus from writing. I didn’t intend to take a break. It just sort of happened. I wish I could tell you that I was busy having some grand adventure in some exotic place, but I wasn’t. I was busy doing everyday life: laundry, dishes, feeding the dog, etc. I was doing a lot of reading and preparing lessons for my weekly moms group. I was walking my daughters through some heartache and disappointment. I was cheering on my husband through the ups and downs of completing his graduate program coursework. Sure, it was all necessary, but not very exciting and pretty downright ordinary.
Several years ago we had a worship pastor who would often say, “There’s something about life that is so daily.” I chuckle a bit every time I think about that statement. Daily life is often more about the routine rather than the remarkable. Lately, though, the routine was beginning to feel totally monotonous!
A couple of weeks ago I attended our church’s annual Rejoice Women’s Conference. April Osteen Simons (younger sister of Joel Osteen) was the speaker. On Saturday morning she talked about “Life on the Other Side.” She went through a series of statements designed to bring us all some encouragement:
· “On the other side of the storm there is calm and peace.”
· “On the other side of discouragement there is laughter.”
· “On the other side of loss there is restoration.”
On and on she went, dispensing these little nuggets of wisdom. But then she said something that really caught my attention.
“On the other side of a mundane, ordinary life there is abundance, purpose, and destiny.”
Whoa! Really? I’m not sure I was completely aware of just how bogged down I was feeling until she spoke those words. It felt like she read my mind. Could this average, humdrum life I was experiencing really lead me to abundance, purpose, and destiny? I struggled to pay attention to rest of her message as the truth of these words began to sink into my heart.
It is our everyday choices that really determine the course of our lives. The ordinary becomes extraordinary when we realize the importance of those choices. Even in the daily-ness of life, we can make choices that bring us closer to fulfilling our purpose. And on the most ordinary of days, we can be grateful for all of the blessings that we do have.
On an ordinary day like today, I am healthy and strong. My husband and children are all healthy and strong. I am able to carry out the routine tasks of the day. I am focusing on making choices that will enable me to move forward in accomplishing God’s purpose for my life. I am truly blessed!
Just another ordinary day full of hope and promise…
I loved that statement also as I can't seem to catch up recently, due to running around and then doing the routine inbetween. As always, you write beautifully and with purpose. You are fulfilling part of your destiny. 🙂
Michelle C