Our ordinary life is a playground for our faith - May 16

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 75, 76; PM Psalm 23, 27; Lev. 23:23–44; 2 Thess. 3:1–18; Matt. 7:13–21

When I lived in West Tennessee, one of the state representatives quoted a portion of today’s readings from the 2nd Letter to the Thessalonians in justifying his vote to remove funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) better known as food stamps. He quoted what we have read for today: “If you don’t work, you shouldn’t eat.” But context matters. And in this letter, the community of believers is idle because they believed that the Kingdom of God was so near, that tomorrow would look very different than today. Essentially, these people had given up on the day to day way of being because of their belief in the imminent return of Jesus. They didn’t think everything else mattered.

This point of view is intriguing to explore because it reflects a spirituality where God is outside of everyday living. God is far off, and something special will happen one day for us, if we do the right thing or believe that right thing. But the author of the Epistle offers an alternative view: it is in the ordinary, day to day, the laboring and working, that we find meaning and purpose. It is in the ordinary that we find our faith and confidence in God.

If you are reading this, you are doing something this very moment to nurture your own spirituality and faith, so maybe I am writing to the wrong crowd. But I worry that some might adopt a posture, that working on one’s faith will just need to wait until we can gather again in a church building. Now, I am also taking the letter out of context in applying it to our spiritual lives, but the author’s point is still made. We find confidence in the Lord in the ordinariness of our lives. Maybe you are finding more idle time than you would like. Or maybe you are stressed out more than usual. But if God is a part of everything we experience, then there is never a better time than now to explore how we are growing in our life with Christ. May we all learn to see are ordinary life as a playground for living out our faith.

- John+

Questions for Self-Reflection

  • How do you see the stories of Scripture reflected in your day to day life? Are their characters from the Bible or events that speak especially to you? Has that changed in the last few months?

Daily Challenge

  • Use a daily task to help you grow in your faith. Pick an ordinary chore, like vacuuming or unloading the dishwasher, and use that time to specifically pray for people on your heart and mind.

John Burruss