We live in a time when most of us believe we’re too busy for anything extra. Too busy for little acts of kindness or thoughtfulness that make an occasion, or even an ordinary day, feel extraordinary. Think making a loved one’s favorite dessert for no special reason, making reservations at your friend’s favorite restaurant when he or she comes to visit, leaving a love note on your partner’s pillow, or simply waiting up to see how it went when your child or spouse comes home late from a special event. Someone once said that if you can walk through your days taking nothing for granted and acknowledging all the amazing things and people in your life, you’ve succeeded in making the ordinary extraordinary. In other words, don’t just skim through your life. Instead, be fully present in the ordinary moments and seek the beauty and wonder in each of them.
We all have the capability to elevate ordinary moments into extraordinary events. Here are just a few ideas to consider:
- Go for a walk and pray that God gives you eyes to see the wonder of His creation. The way the sun shines through the leaves on trees, insects pollinating flowers, little critters like squirrels. bunnies, and birds going about their day.
- Contact a friend or family member just to let them know they’re on your mind.
- Gaze at the night sky. The moon and the vastness of the stars can put things in perspective and connect you to life’s big picture.
- Learn the skill of savoring your food.
- Engage in one activity at a time to be fully focused and engaged.
- Share afternoon tea (or coffee) with a dear friend or family member.
- Share some extraordinary time with a beloved pet. Take him or her to work with you or for a leisurely walk, or maybe even a special ride.
- Master the art of doing nothing, if only for 5 minutes. Relax, rest, be still and know that He is God.
- Create a daily gratitude practice, however brief. Acknowledge and thank Him for the treasures in your life … a roof over your head, clothes to wear, food in your belly, clean running water, electricity, someone to love, your health, your family’s health, the health of your pets, a sunrise, a sunset.
Finally, let us leave you with this thought…whatever capability we possess to elevate the ordinary into something truly special, God’s ability to do the same far surpasses ours. God can undoubtedly transform the ordinary into something extraordinary. In Exodus 4:2, God asked Moses, “What’s that in your hand?” Moses was carrying an ordinary shepherd’s rod, the same stick he’d been carrying for 40 years to tend his flocks of sheep. Ordinary indeed. Yet once Moses obeyed God’s command to lay down that rod and surrender it to Him, Moses was able to use that ordinary stick to part the Red Sea and bring forth water from a rock! We believe it’s possible for God to do the same kind of powerful act with ordinary things in our lives when we surrender them to Him. What do you have that God can use? A little money, a kind word, a thoughtful deed, a couple of hours in some energy-producing technology? Who knows how extraordinary these things (and many others) can be with Divine assistance? God isn’t limited by what resources you have, what you can do, or what others say is possible. We are all simply instruments and vessels to be used by His awesome power. We’ll be the first to admit that as advanced as the EESystem technology is, its capability pales in comparison to what can happen when we open our hearts and minds to Who created the creator of the system and all its components. Just think about what may be possible when we acknowledge and have faith in the extraordinary results that can happen when He works through this technology on our behalf. Blessings on your extraordinary journey.
