The Fight Against a Mundane Existence — Broken & Hopeful
As a mom with young children, some days I feel as though life is in chaos. I work hard, but can reach the end of the day beating myself up for all the things I did not do. My house isn’t clean enough. I didn’t play with the kids enough. My work is unfinished. I didn’t get the time I wanted with my husband. I can go on and on.
Some of you will understand this predicament and some won’t, but I realize that whatever circumstance you are in today is the one that God is using to allow you to be dependent on Him. When I am pushed long enough, I suddenly realize that I should have started the day off as Mike used to say, “Today is too big for me. Thank you for being all I need!”
I think many of us could look at Mike and say, “Well, I’m not in some crazy country with people who want to kill me because I am a believer. I’m not sleeping with giant cockroaches, so I should really be able to handle my little mundane life.” But Mike would have been the first one to tell you that you don’t wait for someone else’s situation to realize you can’t and He must.
God has allowed my situation today to drive me back to His presence and into incredible dependence on Him. I don’t need to look at someone else’s life and think I would know Jesus better if I had their life, ministry, family, etc. You might think that if you were single or married, rich or poor, or in a different job with a different life that you would be successful and a “better” Christian. The truth is that God has you in the exact best place to know Him.
In my juggling a toddler, newborn, husband, ministry, house and whatever else, I NEED JESUS! I often get to the end of my rope and finally realize I should have started out saying, “I can’t.” The beautiful thing is that I can, in that moment, run to Jesus and put all my stuff on him, acknowledging my utter inadequacy and need for His Life even to do the small tasks of today. I remember being a teenager and fighting the idea of being stuck in a mundane existence. I thought this was accomplished by doing something extraordinary (whatever that may be). I have come to realize that nothing is mundane if Jesus is in it. The sooner I realize that I need His life for each piece of my today, the more I get to rest and watch Him work. I am not enough on my own! I am so thankful that He is and will be all that I need for each moment, and nothing is too small or boring for His touch.
“I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches. As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from me you are powerless.” John 15:5
