Ordinary: Of a Kind to be Expected in the Normal Order of Events

We encounter God in the ordinariness of life,
not in the search for spiritual highs and extraordinary,
mystical experiences, but in our simple presence in life.

Brennan Manning

God still draws near to us in the ordinary, commonplace,
everyday experiences and places…
He comes in surprising ways.

Henry Gariepy

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

Acts 4:13 NIV

He [God] made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find Him…He’s not remote; He’s near.

Acts 17:26, 27 The Message

Jesus spent time with ordinary people. He probably even encountered some bored people. Yesterday, I was bemoaning my state of boredom. Today, I seem to be hounded by quotes and verses to remind me that boredom may stem from the daily experience of ordinariness. If we calculated the number of ordinary days against the extraordinary, I imagine ordinary would win. This is where we have been placed to live out the majority of our days. We wouldn’t be able to experience extraordinary without the routine rhythms of life. The usual days of walking in the valley of the shadow of death create a dramatic backdrop to the light drenched mountains that we are journeying towards. My friend says that in her artwork the shading or shadows cause the object to appear more realistic. The shadows of pain and boredom give life its realistic quality. Our enjoyment of special moments is heightened because we have lived through the mundane.

Peter and John appeared courageous, in spite of their ordinariness. And those who observed them attributed their changed countenance and approach to life to the fact that they had spent time with Jesus. Instead of fighting boredom, I will see it as an opportunity to draw me nearer to our Blessed Saviour!