A lowlier task on them is laid,
With love to make the labor light;
And there their beauty they must shed
On quiet homes, and lost to sight.
Changed are their visions high and fair,
Yet, calm and still, they labor there.
HYMNS OF THE AGES
Boy, did the following post stir my heart! I felt as if she was writing about me. How many days I have had like hers? How many times I have questioned "how long" Lord? When Lord? Is this all it is, Lord? We lead ordinary lives, but we dream on the inside. At least, I do. I have had so many days just like hers and I have had so many thoughts just like hers. Hope you enjoy. She might be writing about you, too.
Our Extra-Ordinary Calling
By: Alexandra Hoover
I walked in through the door, exhausted from a long day of work. Traffic added to the stress of my day, as well as a handful of letdowns and hard conversations. It seemed as if disappointment was following me from one meeting to the next.
The day not only reminded me of all my unmet expectations in my career and dreams, but also poured salt over an open and hurting wound. I thought to myself, Alex, is this what life is all about? Is this it? Discouraged, I continued to press on through my day.
Putting my things down at the door, I hurried to let our babysitter leave for the day. I was grateful for her — how she loved on my kids and stepped into her job so well with our family. My babies ran up to me, excited and eager to tell me all about the ups and downs of their day. I waved goodbye to our sitter and commenced what I like to call, “the afternoon shuffle.” Then I made my way to the kitchen to prep for dinner. Deep breaths, I said to my weary soul.
I was quickly met with a resounding yet subtle conviction, an alerting from the Holy Spirit about my current heart posture.
I was so angry with my day, with dreams that seemed so far away, and I wanted God to tell me that my ordinary life was going to get better somehow. I wanted a whisper of, “Your dreams are coming.”
Instead, He quieted my soul by giving me something I needed, a refreshing of His heart for me. I heard Him whisper, “That’s where I do My best work — in the ordinary.” It’s in the mundane, in the calling of your day-to-day. The Scripture of the Great Commission came to mind instantly.
Matthew 28:19-20 says, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
I began to understand that my calling wasn’t what I thought it was. I wanted God to tell me which job I needed to be working and which dream of mine He would bless so I could be “walking in my calling.
Yet in reality, whatever I choose to do with my life, whatever job I am blessed with, is right where God wants me and where He uses me and my gifts to make disciples and grow His Kingdom. It’s His greatest dream for all of us.
My desire to be in my calling started to make sense, and my job and mothering suddenly began to look different to me. They were ministry, and God had called me to it.
And what better teacher to follow and learn from than Jesus? His greatest ministry was in the day-to-day, where He met the most ordinary people in the most ordinary places, offering them all an extraordinary life, simply because He’s a good and loving God. And He’s still in the business of doing that with us today.
It’s the greatest calling of all — to live in our “everyday-ness” of life as a light, as a conduit to God’s bigger and more beautiful story. Just like my babysitter uses her gifts to bless our family, I use my gifts to bless God, to glorify Him. This is our most beautiful call. Let's answer it and steward it well.
Have a blessed day everyone.
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