desire to be ordinary

Our culture pushes people to be the best. You see it instilled in people at the youngest of ages. Sometimes you can verbally hear it being taught from the older generation. You might hear things like, “second place is the first loser,” or “if you’re not first, you are last.” Other times, you see it just naturally become part of someone’s DNA. No one may have told them to be the best, but they have an innate desire to finish as number one. There is nothing necessarily wrong with pursuing goals and wanting to be the best, but have you ever heard anyone say the opposite? Probably at no time in your life has anyone told you, “Strive to be ordinary!” No, we are constantly pushed and encouraged to do more, be more, be extraordinary. And yes, this is a good goal for us to have.

The amazing thing, however, is that as you look through the Bible, God chooses to use the ordinary. Throughout the Old Testament we see examples of this. God chose David who was the youngest in his family and not respected based on outward appearance to rule a nation. God chose Esther, a Jewish girl placed in the palace at the right time to save an entire people group. Moses wasn’t an eloquent speaker, but led a nation out of bondage.

As we move to the New Testament, we see again how God chooses the ordinary. A teenage girl of lowly estate was called to carry the Son of God. Think about the disciples for a moment: twelve men who were chosen to be Christ’s closest allies and spread His fame and mission after He was gone. You would think God would have preselected the best rabbis in training, those who had great theological knowledge and were already known in the religious circles. But Christ chose differently. He chose Matthew, a tax collector; and Peter, Andrew, James, and John, fishermen. Even in the book of Acts, others recognized their ordinary nature.

Peter and John were at the Temple in the afternoon and saw a crippled beggar. Peter took the man by the hand and healed him. Soon a great crowd gathered round and Peter and John saw this as an opportunity to speak truth to the people. They began to speak of salvation and were soon confronted by the priests and religious leaders, where they were arrested. They were called to appear before the council the following day. The Council was amazed as Peter and John spoke to them about Christ and salvation.

“The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13

When God uses the ordinary, He gets the credit. People cannot deny where the power comes from and Who is in control. Sometimes you may feel like you have nothing to offer the Kingdom. You aren’t the best at speaking. Or singing. Or leading. But do you realize that is the perfect opportunity for God to get ALL the glory from your life? So, choose to be ordinary. Allow God to use you where He sees fit and be sure to amaze all those around you.

Weak and lowly,
No hint of fortune or fame
God loves to choose the ordinary
To glorify His name
No need for wealth or power
Influence, popularity, considered smart
God looks for availability
A humble, moldable heart
God selects the “normal” man
One others wouldn’t choose
For when people are their weakest
Are the people God can use
Wonders, signs, miracles
People changed and never the same
When this happens to the ordinary
The glory goes to Christ’s name
If you want to make a difference
If you want to influence the weak
Be normal, moldable, available
And you’ll be the kind God will seek