“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?” Matthew 13:55

Have you ever considered that the most extraordinary person in the history of the world spent most of His life growing up in an ordinary place doing ordinary things?

Jesus’ life in Nazareth was apparently so unremarkable that He was known simply as “the carpenter’s son.” Nevertheless, his ordinary life glorified God. Remember the voice from heaven: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). These words were pronounced over Jesus before he had preached a single sermon or performed a single miracle. They signify that God the Father was delighted with the way God the Son had gone about living His ordinary life.

The culture we live in (and sometimes even the churches we belong to) put a lot of pressure on us to be extraordinary. But the truth is: I’m not extraordinary, and (probably) neither are you. In fact, if you are anything like me, you consistently fail at ordinary life. That’s the big difference between us on the one hand, and Jesus on the other. Our ordinary lives are characterized by imperfection and sin. But Jesus lived an ordinary life perfectly on our behalf, and then laid down that perfect life to redeem ordinary sinners like you and me.

In Christ, you are free to be ordinary because Jesus has been extraordinary for you. So go ahead and embrace your ordinary life, for the good of others and for the glory of God. In the end, that’s what will make you extraordinary.

Father, help me to be faithful in the ordinary things today, for Your glory. I ask this in Jesus’s name, amen.

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Relax in the grace of God and be content to be ordinary today. If you are facing a difficult road, we would love to pray with you. Talk to a mentor today. It’s free and confidential.