Friday, January 14, 2011

Remarkable

From an outsider's perspective, my days likely appear to be unremarkable. There is much folding of laundry, preparing of meals, wiping of counters, swiping of sticky faces. We come and go much like any other family, to school, shopping centers, soccer complexes, and church. We shuffle paper (seriously, there is so much paper in my life!), cleats, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and schedules. Nothings special here.

But wait. My ordinary life is not as bland as it sounds. My marriage of almost seventeen years is a place of solace and joy and laughter and faithfulness and commitment. My children thrive with health and happiness and security. My deepest parts, the place where my spirit resides, rest easy in perfect, quiet peace, the kind that passes all human understanding, and revels in joy, the kind that bubbles up from a wellspring of life.

We believe in God. I believe in God. This God is the One True God, the God of Abraham, and Isaac, of Israel, and of my heart. He is the Creator of the Universe, the Savior, the God Who Sees, the Redeemer, the Holy One. Jesus, the Father, the Holy Spirit.

He makes me special. He made me in His image. He calls me His own. He covers me with His Righteousness. He redeemed me and put His claim on me. I am no longer my own, but His.

He makes us special. He guides our family, and provides for us. He is the all-sufficient One who sustains us. Into our ordinary days, He infuses His presence and holds us together.

This is what is remarkable about our lives. He is in it. The Lord of All is in the details of our lives. He protects our marriage, He guards our hearts. He draws our children to Himself, teaching them more and more, instilling them with understanding.

I once saw a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie called the Magic of Ordinary Days. The title often makes me think of my life. However, it isn't magic that we experience. It is the awesome power of a personal God. This is the Supernatural Power of Ordinary Days.