It All Matters: Fulfilling God’s Work in the Mundane
“We will do the things God built for us to do. But it won't be because we're special, great, or powerful. We will do great things because God is moving on this earth to accomplish His purposes for His glory. And in my weakness, He looks good. In my usual, normal averageness, He gets the credit.”
I wrote these words over 10 years ago, and I still feel them completely. I still feel like the average usual stuff has turned into eternal, unbelievable, and beautiful works that only God could have done. He gets all the credit, but not only for the big things.
God gets all the credit for my kiddos, friendships, the people I've discipled, and the small steps of faithfulness that are the best parts of my life. There is no mundane thing in our walk with Jesus. If we are creatures on this earth who will go on forever, then there is no mundane, small act. All of it matters.
The mundane is where we'll live this out. It's in our people, with our people, and in our places. All this activity happens in the mundane. This is not about doing big things for God. It’s about trusting God with the everyday parts of our lives and watching Him do big things through us.
Joseph didn't plan to save the world. He showed up, used his gifts, loved people, and did the things God put in front of him. The world-saving came later.
The small things matter, and you are part of a great story. I want you to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that God planned these moments and is using them.
“We are souls undone and rebuilt by the Spirit of God. We possess God and are filled with Him for the very same purposes that Peter, John, Paul, Mary, and Luke in the early church were filled with Him. We are filled with God to pour Him into the darkness, pour Him into the broken souls who are starving for something” – From Restless: Because You Were Made for More.
There are no average or small dreams and no average people. There are no meaningless moments. There are moments with tangled threads where simple visions are affirmed, and neighborhood boot camps are born. There are several moments no one sees, but as order is brought from chaos, your family flourishes a bit more. There are moments of aloneness when God draws you nearer to Him.
There are particularly dark moments when God is building the brightest ones. If you feel restless, rest assured that there is more – a story too weighty and beautiful to bear, stretched out beyond 10 million years from today. This is the story that we are about. Whether you know Jesus or not, you're a part of it because eternity is coming.
The story we find ourselves in matters more than we can imagine. It matters in our souls in ways that God knows we can't comprehend. So, He gives us simple small tasks. God sets us in our places with our gifts, stories, and people. He sets us in His story, and it feels normal and mundane. And yet, it couldn't be further from that.
Many friends that I led in Bible study have such different lives today than they did back then. I remember how they felt like nothing they did mattered. And yet, everything they were doing has made them who they are and shaped the life they're leading today.
It all matters.
We don't look for big, awesome things to do. We look at what God has given us and ask Him to show us what to do with those gifts. There will be days when it just feels boring or like there's no way that it matters to anyone. Those aren’t the worst days.
God says that the ways we serve and love others in private build for us an eternal weight of glory, a crown that will never perish, and a reward in heaven. And so, even those things will matter. We may not see here, but I promise you, we will in heaven.
All the mundane things we do matter. The mundane has shaped everything I am and everything I'm doing. So, don't miss it.
Crave being invisible.
Crave the moments nobody sees, where you're just being faithful, taking what God's given you, and stewarding it well.
Crave those moments because they will be the moments that you receive the greatest reward for in heaven.
Hebrews 10:37-38 NIV – For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.”
Let's not be people who shrink back. He's given you a story to be a part of. Let's live in that story with faith, not perfectly. The people praised in these verses made tons of mistakes, but they lived by faith. And that's what I am calling you to do. Let’s live out the stories that God has called us to in faith.
Whatever season you find yourself in, hold on a bit longer because He's coming. I want your story to be full of faith and for us to not shrink back in the places He’s set us. Live the fullness of the story that He wrote for you. Do all the good work He prepared in advance for you. Do it because He likes you, loves you, and delights in you. And you don't want to miss it.
If you don't know what to do next, try something.
Take one step of obedience that feels risky, whatever God brings to mind.
Ask that God gives you one step of faith and obedience.
I challenge you to ask yourself: What am I moving toward, and what am I leaving behind?
Make whatever you’re moving toward really specific.
Put some people's names or a dream you've had and take that step today.
Don’t wait.
When you do that small act of obedience that feels like no big deal, the dominoes will fall into place. Don't miss it. If you feel apathetic or too tired, remember that it’s a ploy. The enemy wants you to feel numb and checked out. He does not want you awake to the war that is on, the story you're living in, and the incredible opportunities in front of you. He wants you to be apathetic and numb.
If that is where you are today, pray that God would lift your eyes to the eternal story and relationships that surround us. Pray that He lights that little spark in your soul to remember that you are part of something bigger than the now. We're about something that will go on forever if we choose to be in.
