Today’s Daily Bread ~ Nothing is ordinary…

Colossians 2:6-7 – And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to Him.  Let your roots grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught.  Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all He has done.

I was cooking dinner the other night, when my four year old daughter wandered into the kitchen.  I knew from the familiar look on her face what I was about to be pummeled with.

“Mommy, I’m bo-ored (children have an amazing ability to add syllables to the simplest of words).  Come play with me!”

“Sweetheart, I can’t right now,” I replied.  “Mommy is cooking dinner.”

“But I’m bored!  I don’t have anything to play with!”

I half chuckled, half snorted in disbelief.  Nothing to play with?  A glance into the den confirmed that my disbelief was warranted.  Toys were strewn from one end of the room to the other.  Barbies, babies, blocks, legos, and puzzles.  Books, my-little-ponies, littlest-pet-shop pets, cars and pieces of a race track.  A farm set, stuffed animals, princess clothes and a buzz light year gun.  Nothing to play with?

“Caitlyn,” I answered, with a slightly stern tone of voice, “if you can’t find anything to play with, then you’re just not trying.  You have more toys than you know what to do with.”

I can’t judge too harshly.  After all, I remember doing the same thing when I was young.  Come to think of it, aren’t we all guilty of the same thing?

The new car only stays new for a little while, and then it becomes ordinary.  No longer filling us with the sense of pride and excitement it once did, we desire the better and newer model the minute it’s out.  The same can be said for homes, clothes, appliances, phones, gadgets, trinkets, TV’s, and jobs.  Ladies, how many times have we stood in closets full of clothes and shoes, complaining that we have absolutely nothing to wear?  Men, how many times have you looked at your buddy’s job and salary, and found your own to be suddenly inadequate?  Is it possible that peace and contentment are elusive because we view the Lord’s blessings as ordinary, rather than extraordinary?

God blesses us every day.  Every single day on this earth is a gift, as is every breath we take.  We live in a state of discontent when we allow a sense of entitlement to creep in.  As Americans, we tend to expect the American dream: a big house, a big salary, two nice cars until our children turn 16, then we add a car per kid.  We want a TV in every room, HD with a flat screen.  We want what we want when we want it, and if we can’t afford it, no problem.  Charge it.  A life style that leads to more and more anxiety; we cease to own our possessions as they increasingly own us.

The cure?  Thankfulness.  Did you know that thankfulness is a spiritual discipline?  If we want to live lives full of joy and peace, we have to assume an attitude of gratitude. 

When Paul wrote the book of Philippians, he was sitting, in chains, in a Roman prison.  In fact, he had been in a jail cell for over a year when he wrote these words: “Always be full of joy in the Lord.  I say it again – rejoice!  Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.  Remember, the Lord is coming soon.  Don’t worry about anything, instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.  If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4-6, emphasis mine).”

When we don’t make thanking God part of our everyday prayer life, we’re missing out on how much He has already blessed us!  Did you know that, in Haiti, there are over 1.5 million people still living in tents because of the earthquake aftermath?  Be thankful for a roof over your head, running water and flushing toilets.  The death from the cholera outbreak (in Haiti among those displaced) is over 1800.  Praise God that we have doctors and vaccines accessible to us on a moment’s notice.  Did you know that 80% of the world’s population lives on ten dollars or less a day?  And 20% of that number lives on 2 dollars or less a day.  Give glory to God for your income, no matter how meager!  God didn’t promise to meet your every want…but Jesus stood in front of His disciples and the people and said, “So I tell you, don’t worry about everyday life, whether you have enough food, drink or clothes!  Doesn’t life consist of more than food and clothing?  Look at the birds; they don’t have to plant or harvest or put food in barns, because your Heavenly Father feeds them.  And you are far more valuable to Him than they are.  Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?  Of course not (Matthew 6:25-27)!”

Look around you.  Everything you have is a gift.  Your ability to work is a gift, your skill set is a gift, your spouse and your children are gifts.  By thanking God, even for the smallest of things, you begin to see your life as extraordinary, rather than ordinary, and you will truly be able to rejoice in the Lord!

Dear Heavenly Father, we love You so much!  Thank You so much for all You have given us.  Lord, we even thank You through the storms, knowing that somehow, You will use them to bring glory to Your Name and to execute Your perfect plan.  We confess that we do not always have an attitude of gratitude, and that we take the blessings You’ve bestowed upon us for granted.  Please forgive us for that, and help us to remember the discipline of thankfulness. Please don’t let us view Your world and our surroundings as ordinary.  Remind us that the earth You created is truly extraordinary.  We thank You in advance, Father, as we ask these things in the beautiful name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  Amen.