One of my tasks as a preacher and writer is to convey inspiration and encouragement. I have to do this through the filter of what I myself receive. No one is capable of doing this kind of work without the fertile minds and hearts of other people. My own experience is important, but no one can experience everything. I must then rely on the testimony of others who walk with God through this life. I have to trust that what nurtures me can also be of value to you. In a sense, this makes me an "inspiration broker."
An example of this is a simple definition of spirituality that I got from one of my mentors. He said that spirituality means living the ordinary life extraodinarily well. This is a very hopeful concept to me. Almost all of us live a life that feels quite ordinary. Regardless of our hopes and dreams, each one of us has to do laundry, clean house, pay bills, take care of a spouse or children or aging parents, go to work, and a hundred other things that are completely unremarkable. Like it or not, how we do these mundane things truly defines our quality of life.
Jesus once told a story about a man who, upon successfully completing a small task for his master, was told that he could now be entrusted with bigger things. I used to think this was a moralistic story about being a responsible person. Now I see it as a hint about spiritual life. Ordinary things, done extraordinarily well, open for us a window into God that we would otherwise miss. They enlarge our souls, and make us more able to receive from God and more ready to do God's will in the world. I am going to try and remember this the next time I am griping about having to vacuum the floor, or wash the bathtub.
Can you learn to see your ordinary, everyday life as a training ground for God?
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