Ordinary. Many people hate that word. Or at least dislike it. No one wants to be thought of as ordinary. An ordinary day is not something we strive for, work for, or dream of. Many people think the Race is an extraordinary adventure. Well, it certainly is. However, I believe the Race to be extraordinarily ordinary. Days on the race can very ordinary. Last week was a perfect example. My team and I attended a wedding. I went to the hospital with a sick teammate. We went to the grocery store. We cleaned the coffee shop that we live and work in. We met strangers. All of these things one can do anywhere in the world. We just happen to be in India. I’m writing this in a coffee shop in Hampi. You may be sitting in a coffee shop in Atlanta, Georgia. You may be a stay-at-home mom sitting at your family computer in your less-than-perfect house. You may be another racer sitting in an airport in South America. You may be a pastor sitting at your office desk. I don’t know who you are or where you are, but I do know that you may have one of my same fears-the fear of living an “ordinary life”. I want to tell you that life with Jesus is never ordinary. Yes, the daily tasks we do, the bills we pay, the toilets we clean, the errands we run, may be ordinary. The Bible says that whatever we do, we should do all in the name of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17). That means, as long as you are doing your task in His name, it is bringing glory to God, it is pleasing Him, and it is for His Kingdom! That is extraordinary, folks. My team and I are serving coffee, chai, and anything else we can make for tourists and locals in the small village of Hampi (southern India). Our café is called All Tribes Café. The mission is to reach out to the nations, to all tribes, in the name of Jesus. I realized that one could open up a “social enterprise” (the café is donation-only) anywhere in the world. Our little café can be one way of reaching people with the Gospel anywhere in the world. Racers don’t have to be the only people with “extraordinary lives”. Yes, I recognize that I am on an extraordinary journey filled with some quite ordinary days and moments. However, the World Race, so far, has taught me that each moment is what you make of it. We must choose to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. We must choose to find joy in the mundane. I learn this lesson every day on the Race, but I want to keep learning it. I want my life, wherever I am, to be a testimony to the power of God’s grace. When does the ordinary become extraordinary?
When you realize that it’s NOT about you.
When the joyful smile of a child is worth that dirty diaper you changed for the millionth time.
When the customer stops to listen to you share the Gospel after you made that cup of coffee.
When the dirt, sweat, and heat don’t matter because Jesus is lifted high and people come to know their Savior and Lord.
I pray that this post is encouraging to you. I get caught up so easily in the difficulties on the Race, and in real life, that sometimes I forget to look for the extraordinary in the ordinary. Because this life in Christ is truly an adventure, regardless of where you are in the world.
