The Ordinary
People, those that do and don’t follow Christ, have similar issues through their lives. Bills to pay, children to raise, jobs we’d prefer not have to go to and of course in-laws. No one is immune to the trails of life.
No one.
One very personal and often crippling similarity is our need to feel accepted, or better, valued. We look for all sorts of ways to identify ourselves and increase our value. We take jobs, join clubs, use drugs or go to churches looking for a place where we feel like we belong, a place that we fit in.
Seldom if ever do find that sense of belonging even if we have a job doing drugs at church.
As Christ followers we should recognize that our value comes from Jesus Christ. He created us. He loves us. He died for us. If you don’t see the value in that you might need to have your eyes or your heart checked. I struggle with my value from time to time. In truth, he died for everyone, including those that do not believe that – and he does not care what you you’ve done in your life – but for those of us that claim to follow Christ we have no business searching for our value.
It is right in front of us.
The Extraordinary
The thing I can say about each one of us is that none of us are ordinary despite what we’re told during our lives. When you think that the creator of the universe molded you together in your mother’s womb how could anyone possibly describe themselves in any way other than by saying, “I am extraordinary”?
Dictionary.com defines extraordinary as “beyond what is usual, ordinary, regular, or established.” Did you pick up on that? Did you see what that said? It was only one word but it is so very important.
Beyond.
Yep, that was it. That was the word, beyond.
Take a look around you what do you see that is ordinary? What do you see that was not created by God? Nothing right? Now think about this, in the Genesis description of creation the Bible says that when God created everything he said it was “good,” except man. When he created man he said we were “Very good.”
Very good. You’re not good you’re very good. You’re not just another one of the things God made. You’re very good. Very good. You’re not ordinary. You have value beyond your job, your car or anything else you can use to try to fill that void.
God is the only thing that will fill the emptiness you feel. God is the only thing that will make you complete and take away all the things that make you feel as though you have no value.
You are extraordinary because God loves you.
You are extraordinary.
Mick Holt 