eXraordinary within the ordinary

Ok, Ok, so I'm stretching my "X" a tad but give me a little grace here!  "X" is a tough letter to come up with a word for.  So in my attempt to keep our eyes on Jesus, I'm using "X" the best way the Lord is pointing me to.  And in these current days of quarantine, viruses, and being at home, I think God is trying to show us to look and see the eXtraordinary in just the ordinary things.

I once read a book by Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts, that explains how instead of just looking at the things around us, we should be looking at the beauty and marvel at God's creation around us. When I did the study, we were asked to keep a journal and see just how many gifts we could see throughout the day.  When you take the time to really focus in on your day, it's amazing how many gifts you can find.  Suddenly all the ordinary things seem to become extraordinary when you are intentionally looking for God in them.

I remember when I started my list, the smallest things that I had never noticed before all the sudden became extraordinary.  Dirty laundry became extraordinary because it meant that I had a family that had clothes to wear.  Dirty dishes meant I had food to prepare for my family and they were well feed.  A bird chirping, the window curtains bellowing in the wind, the warmth of the sun, laughter from my son, all became extraordinary because all the sudden those simple things became beautiful reminders that God created it all.

As we are living in these current times, what could you look around and see, hear, smell that would remind you that God is with you?  Are you taking time to look around and enjoy the extraordinary or are you just trying to get through the day?  Gloria Gaither once said, "I could go through this day oblivious to the miracles all around me or I could tun in and "enjoy"".

Every moment in our lives shapes us to who we are.  Every choice we've made has brought us to where we are.  Every moment has an opportunity for us to truly see the goodness of God.  Every moment of our day gives us glimpses into God's beauty and love for us.  And even when we hit roadblocks in our moments, we still can be certain that God is there and those moments will still be extraordinary because God is in those moments with us.

Imagine, if we all began looking for the extraordinary in our days instead of the mundane, how different would our world look?  How much more joy would we have in our day?  The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8, "...Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right.  Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."  Paul is telling us to think on things that are pure and lovely, the extraordinary things in our

day that God has smudged with His fingerprints.  "Attitude is the mind's paintbrush; it can color any situation." (Barbara Johnson)

I encourage you, as you are spending all this extra time at home and with your family, take a few moments and write down the extraordinary moments in your day.  Take time to look for the extraordinary and I assure you, you will be amazed at what God points out to you.


Lord, helps us to see the extraordinary in our everyday.  Let us be people who look for You in all we do.  Help us to keep our minds fixed on those things that are pure and lovely and not get caught up in the mundane, routine of life.  Father, You provide so many opportunities for extraordinary moments in our lives.  Let us never forget that with every moment, You are there with us.  Amen.