First Steps – February 24, 2020

I can’t remember when I heard this, but I remember that when I heard it, a light bulb went off because I haven’t forgotten it.  Though Brother Lawrence lived about 400 years ago, he thought the same because he considered faith and daily life to be intricately woven together and inseparable.  He wrote, “That we ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed. That we should not wonder if, in the beginning, we often failed in our endeavors, but that at last we should gain a habit, which will naturally produce its acts in us, without our care, and to our exceeding great delight.”

Often, we live with the thought that our faith must be grand.  Yet, Jesus referred to a mustard seed faith as effective enough to move mountains. However, we resist his words because there is something in us that values bigger is better.  We are drawn to the exotic, that piece that separates us from others.  It is no wonder we struggle with Jesus’ simple call for humility, service, and selflessness.  I’m convinced that until we find contentment in the basics, joy in living a simple life with God, and fulfillment in the faithfulness of the everyday life, we will always be chasing something that is fleeting and temporary.  

Mountain top ecstasies, even spiritual ones, are not the norm and aren’t meant to be.  The real issue for us is can the everyday event—your day-in-and-day-out-life—be the mountain top?  The New Testament describes a life in the Spirit with an everyday lens.  Christ is Lord of the mundane as much as he is Lord of the ecstasy.   Find the joy in living the everyday life.