I think most of us are pretty familiar with the major Christian seasons. Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and maybe even Pentecost. But did you know that there is a name in the liturgical calendar for the time in between these holidays?
Ordinary Time.
Most of our lives are lived in this space. It can be easy to view it as regular, commonplace, inconsequential. Without any real value. But this is simply not true. In this case, ordinary comes from the word ordinal, which means "of or relating to an order, rank or position in a series." 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th. And to get a series, each of the things in that series needs to be counted. You cannot have a 4th without a 3rd, and you cannot have a 1st without a 2nd. Each thing in the series counts. It matters. In Emily P. Freeman's book, Simply Tuesday, she says "Having something count is important. If the goal counts, your team might win. If it doesn't, you might be out. It may seem childish at first glance but I can relate. I want my time, money, efforts, and points to count too. Counting means something. Not counting feels like a waste." I understand this feeling.
This is not the first time I have been down this road. In the last decade I have quietly started and given up on two other blogs. I wrote a few entries for each one, and then stopped. Nobody was really reading my posts, and I decided that meant I wasn't good enough. That my words didn't count. In fairness, I think I told maybe 5 people about what I was doing, so that probably had something to do with it. I can feel the same thoughts rising up now, and I have barely even started. As is my tendency, I want every post to be big. Important. Impactful. I want every post to be widely and well received. I want my words to be perfect and polished. I am the kind of person that if I'm going to do a thing, I want to do it well. If I'm being honest, I want to be popular. I want to count. I want to be extraordinary.
Here's the rub. What is considered to be ordinary by some, is extraordinary to others. I don't know what pieces of my story are going to mean something to someone else. It's the little moments of my life, where I am attentive to the move of God that make up the bulk of my life. The Ordinary Time. If I am incapable of acknowledging God on a Tuesday, how can I possibly say I really know Him on Sunday?
During a recent worship service at my church, the band played a song that I have heard and sung many times before. Cory Asbury' s Endless Alleluia. But this time I was arrested by the lyrics of the second verse:
"In the moments where You go unnoticed
In the ordinary day to day
Countless miracles of life around us
Point like arrows to Your name"
The every day, ordinary moments. My calling is simply to be attentive to those countless miracles, and to point people back to The One who loves us best. To acknowledge that He is here with me. Always. Even when there is no big revelation to share, He is here. That is what Holy Here is about. The ordinary moments with our Extraordinary God. Because they count too. Maybe they count most.
This time around I'm going to keep going, even if I don't feel like what I am sharing is earth-shattering. I am going to release the results, and keep my eye on what God has asked me to do. I will keep writing and posting. As I continue to find my voice, and figure out the "how" of all this, I will trust God knows who needs to see these posts. I'm just going to offer up my best and let God to do what He will do with it.
"For as the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, making it bear and sprout, and providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so will My word be which goes out of My mouth; It will not return to Me void (useless, without result), without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." - Isaiah 55:10-11 AMP
I just want to take a moment to say thank you to those of you who are here to support the beginning of whatever this ends up being. I really appreciate you taking time to dive in to this with me. I would be honoured if you would share this with your friends and family, and you can also find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, where most days I post a simple moment in which I experienced the grace of God, in His everyday glory.
Blessings!
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