Honorably Mundane
Outward appearances are more than just how you look; they are the image you project.
If you scrolled through our Facebook profiles or interviewed the people that sit near us in class, you would probably be led to believe that we lead picaresque lives. We rarely tell stories about painful or tedious moments in our day and, as a result, people often forget that those times exist in our lives, too.
Why would I waste word count writing about setting the table an hour ago? It wasn't anything spiritual or exciting, so I wouldn't mention it. Therefore, you may assume I spend all evening having profound spiritual realizations between my Bible readings and prayerful meditations. Your friend isn't going to Instagram the fight she just had with her husband. Instead, she'll post that picture from last week with her kids giggling as ice cream drips down their arms. The difference between your life and her Instagram is that she can pick what to post, and you must live through each argument and tiff.
The truth is, we often get so caught up in the outward appearance of other peoples' lives, that we forget what is truly important. We forget that the life others think we live is not what qualifies us for greatness.
Take a close look at the life of David, one of the greatest kings in Israel's history and a man said to be "after God's own heart." What prepared him to take on this role? It wasn't years of scholarly training, nor grooming from a powerful father. Rather, it was the days he spent herding sheep in the fields after being left behind when his brother's marched honorably off to war.
Whether it's protecting a flock of scraggly sheep or sitting through another 9 o'clock meeting, God often places us in positions that are unimportant by the world's standards. Still, allowing God to change your heart through the mundane is perhaps the most honorable act of all. And, as the Lord reminded Samuel in the case of young David, "The Lord does not look at the things human beings look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).
If you scrolled through our Facebook profiles or interviewed the people that sit near us in class, you would probably be led to believe that we lead picaresque lives. We rarely tell stories about painful or tedious moments in our day and, as a result, people often forget that those times exist in our lives, too.
Why would I waste word count writing about setting the table an hour ago? It wasn't anything spiritual or exciting, so I wouldn't mention it. Therefore, you may assume I spend all evening having profound spiritual realizations between my Bible readings and prayerful meditations. Your friend isn't going to Instagram the fight she just had with her husband. Instead, she'll post that picture from last week with her kids giggling as ice cream drips down their arms. The difference between your life and her Instagram is that she can pick what to post, and you must live through each argument and tiff.
The truth is, we often get so caught up in the outward appearance of other peoples' lives, that we forget what is truly important. We forget that the life others think we live is not what qualifies us for greatness.
Take a close look at the life of David, one of the greatest kings in Israel's history and a man said to be "after God's own heart." What prepared him to take on this role? It wasn't years of scholarly training, nor grooming from a powerful father. Rather, it was the days he spent herding sheep in the fields after being left behind when his brother's marched honorably off to war.
Whether it's protecting a flock of scraggly sheep or sitting through another 9 o'clock meeting, God often places us in positions that are unimportant by the world's standards. Still, allowing God to change your heart through the mundane is perhaps the most honorable act of all. And, as the Lord reminded Samuel in the case of young David, "The Lord does not look at the things human beings look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).
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