Here's another from the Archives for this Monday morning. This work first appeared in the print edition of the Kingsport Times News on October 29, 2020. It was subsequently published in the Chesterton Review of Seton Hall University.
I, perhaps like many of you, grew up watching sitcoms on TV. Situational comedy as a television program became very popular in the US during the 1950s. “I Love Lucy” and “The Andy Griffith Show” gave way over the years to “Cheers”, “Seinfeld”, “Fresh Prince”, and “The Office”. What all of these enormously popular shows had in common is that they told stories that were, surprisingly, ordinary.
Of course, that’s the entire premise. Ordinary events in the ordinary lives of ordinary people are, well, funny. And they are funny because, at one level, they could have happened to you or your friends or your family. The stories are relatable.
As I write this, we are approaching Election Day. Regardless of your political preference, one thing most of us can agree on is that our world is incredibly contentious and divided. Most of us will also agree that this is not an inherently good thing. But, if you’re anything like me, you might feel a bit lost as to what to actually do about. How can I, surrounded by the mundane and the un-miraculous, wading through bills and diapers and groceries and homework, influence a world spiraling out of control?
GK Chesterton once wrote, “The greatest political storm flutters only a fringe of humanity. But an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children literally alter the destiny of nations.”
Ordinary people in the course of their ordinary lives…this is the unremarkable stuff that legends are made of. We often think that great heroes in history (particularly the heroes of our faith) are larger than life figures who stood head and shoulders above their peers. In truth, they were often fairly ordinary folks who, at key moments in time, made simple, humble, sacrificial choices.
The kingdoms of this world glorify the seemingly extraordinary. The Kingdom of God dignifies the ordinary.
For it is here, in the ordinary course of your life, that God blesses you. Wherever you may find yourself today, whatever may be before you, know that the invitation of Jesus always stands – come to Me; follow Me; trust in Me. The Kingdom of God is at hand, available and accessible to you in all of the ordinary you face each day.
And so, as you look at the day before you, ordinary as you may think it is, ask God to show you the dignity of the ordinary. Look for him to reveal his goodness and faithfulness through the simple and mundane. And choose, in all those times, the simple, humble, and self-sacrificial way of Jesus.
Komentar