Well, I cannot believe I'm writing this, but here I go doing that blog thing
AGAIN! After more than 9 months of inactivity, I am risking it again. What can I say? Life ran me over, and other things took on greater significance than blogging. However, because I love to write, and have been told on occasion that my musings encourage a few folks, I have taken up the power of the pen, uh, keyboard once again.
Recently, a pastor friend of mine sent me an email with what was a profound quote in the signature section of his email.
"Vision is the spectacular that
causes us to carry out the mundane."
-Chris Widener
WOW!!! That little quote spoke to me more than I can say! This sums up my commitment to so many things in this quite "mundane" life. Many years ago as I followed what seemed like the leading of God into my calling to pastoral ministry, I was captivated by a vision of the spectacular.
Unfortunately, like so many other things in life, I expected all of the steps toward the spectacular vision to be spectacular, and not mundane. Of course, the mundane is the pathway to the fulfillment of a spectacular vision.
The little so called "meaningless" things we do like paying our bills, loving our spouses, and showing kindness to a neighbor are the very things that lead to the fulfillment of a spectacular vision. In a way, writing this blog is kind of like a spectacular vision I once had about blogging that settled into a kind of mundane day to day regimen of writing.
When the Biblical patriarch Jacob had to work for 7 years to receive Rachel as his wife, he learned to make the best of the mundane work of shepherding and managing Laban's affairs. Yet the Scripture records in Genesis 29:20 that, "Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days for him because of the love he had for her." Obviously that man had a spectacular vision (Rachel was a beauty - see Genesis 29:17), that he was willing to do mundane work for. The Scripture goes on to tell us that Jacob still had to labor for 7 more years under Laban to fulfill his vow. Talk about devotion to a vision.
May God give all of us a "spectacular vision" that will cause us to "carry out the mundane."
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I wasn't even going to nag you this time until you reached the one-year mark. :)
ReplyDeleteJoel,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment and the love. ;)
Great to have you back in the saddle again!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder of what these days are for.
I can't find the full text online, but Lewis' essay "Good Works and Good Work" dealt with exactly this. (There's a good excerpt at www.tigerhuck.com/goodworkandgoodworks.) The point is that the cleaning woman who scrubs floors to the glory of God is just as pleasing to Him as the preacher or the philanthropist. The ordinary, low-profile work glorifies Him, too.
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