Mundane Matters
I'm often asked by people in the church about my recovery.
About my big "aha" moment.
I'm sure I disappoint them when I tell them truths such as the fact that rather than hearing an audible voice of God, I hear it every day from my brothers, or that most of the wisdom God chooses to reveal to me is discovered in my time in the Word or time spent acting out my daily routine.
Sure, I've had my share of brokenness and desperation, as does anyone that seeks radical, lasting transformation in their life that only Christ can deliver, but the war is not won in an intense hour long worship service or even a baptism.
The war is won while living in the mundane.
How often do we feel desperate for our Creator on a daily basis?
How regularly do we beg God for strength and endurance, or even talk to him at all, when life is just calmly flowing along?
The longer a human goes without being confronted with a visibly substantial trial, the more likely it is that he or she will begin to feel a sense of arrival.
Jesus addresses the constant need to keep an inventory of your heart in the parable of the sower.
Luke 8:15 says
"As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience."
Did you notice that last phrase?
We're not just supposed to be a patient Christian and wait on our blessings.
We are meant to live our lives. Bear good fruit.
Seek His kingdom first, and let the kingdom be the filter through which we view all things.
With these special "kingdom goggles", you will notice that the mundane doesn't seem so...mundane.
Romans 1:21 warns us against living our lives without gratitude in our hearts:
"For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened."
Again, this is a clear warning against the self-idolatry that will lead us to believe that we deserve to be in the driver's seat of our lives.
I spoke earlier about my own recovery (from addiction) and touched on this idea that one can arrive to a point where he his life under control.
The secret is this: we never arrive until we're standing before our Creator and that we must live our lives so they reflect the knowledge that He loved us while we were His enemies.
So change that diaper.
Wash those dishes.
Merge calmly in traffic.
Yes, really.
In Colossians 3:23-24, Paul commands us:
"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."
If we wash those dishes as if Christ himself were about to dine with us, and knowing that He sees us doing so, then all of a sudden the mundane becomes GLORIOUS!
And that is the final secret in this blog entry.
With Kingdom goggles, there is no mundane.
[Editor's note: Cory Blass is a strong friend in the faith, having gone through a year-long, faith-based recovery program. He has certainly learned, better than most, to stand through the mundane boring-ness of life. I asked him to contribute this article, as I can't think of anyone more qualified to talk about being faithful in the everyday struggle against how he feels, but instead rests in Christ as his strength.]