Ordinary Days

Read

Ephesians 5:20, “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Think

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich."

How often do you have routine, unexciting days? The kind of days when it's hard to remember much because nothing remarkable happens. Life tends to slip by in a series of uneventful days, with only a few standout moments sticking in our memory. Some experts think that instead of remembering our lives like a movie, we recall them as a collection of these standout moments, and the rest just blurs together.

These uneventful days aren't necessarily bad; they're just plain and usual. They involve things like waking up the kids, making breakfast, taking care of the pets, going to work, preparing dinner, helping with homework, and putting everyone to bed. On these “blurry days” when life just flows along, we might end up focusing on minor issues to give us something to remember. These problems might be things like the Wi-Fi not working, someone drinking the last of the milk, or our car not being as fancy as our neighbor's.

The truth is, many people around the world would cherish one of our ordinary days, even with their first-world problems. People in various places would be overjoyed to trade their hardships like religious oppression, violent conflict, untreated illnesses, or slavery for a simple day at the office, a day of caring for children, or a day of living in a place with clean water, good healthcare, and just laws.

Today, let's be grateful for the everyday, unremarkable things we often take for granted.

Apply

Be grateful for the common. Make a list of your everyday, common blessings.

Pray

Jesus, help me not overlook the simple gifts you bestow upon me each day. Help me to remain mindful of these everyday blessings, to never take them for granted, and to share my gratitude with others. In Jesus' name. Amen.