Ordinary to Extraordinary
Welcome to October. Besides the much anticipated Pumpkin Spice Latte, football, and cozy nights with fires, October is also the month I became engaged many years ago. Steve asked me to marry him on an October day in Waxahachie, Texas, while we were still in college. The weather was perfect, and as the leaves fell off the trees, I fell head over heels in love with Steve.
I would love to tell you our engagement was a spectacular Pinterest extravaganza, complete with a beautiful location, each detail perfectly planned and executed, including the moment that Steve got down on one knee, gazed into my eyes, and popped the question. Photos and a video captured the moment exquisitely.
While that would be the perfect social media version of how it happened, it's not remotely close to what occurred.
The truth is, I don't remember the moment he asked me to marry him. We had been dating for a little over a year at this point. For months we talked about our future together and what it would be like to be married.
Steve remembers us sitting in a car when he popped the question. That's it; nothing extraordinary about it. After my "yes," we picked out a small diamond engagement ring. I believe I paid for my engagement ring with the money I inherited when my grandmother died. Not very romantic. We were young, poor college students, but we committed to love one another all our lives which we have faithfully done.
Over forty-plus years, we have built an extraordinary life we love, one ordinary moment at a time. Married life, at its best, consists of learning everything you can about another person and then loving and serving one another daily. Ordinary tasks like cooking, cleaning, taking care of kids, laughing, praying, and spending time together build a solid marriage relationship that can weather the occasional disappointments we all face.
While I am thankful for some extraordinary experiences with Steve, our everyday rhythms matter most, and most days, they are very ordinary!
Our spiritual life is the same. If you want to experience an extraordinary spiritual life, it begins with ordinary moments. These seemingly ordinary moments, practiced consistently, will build an extraordinary relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Here are some ways to help your ordinary spiritual life become extraordinary.
Get in the habit of daily Bible reading. The Bible is foundational to our spiritual health. Do you want to know God – then read His Word.
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 2 Timothy 3:16 NLT
Talk to God daily in prayer and listen for your Father’s voice. Prayer has a way of changing us from the inside out.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God." Philippians 4:6-7
Invite the Holy Spirit to empower your life. Being filled with the Spirit will change your life. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift to all believers.
"In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us where we are weak. We do not know how to pray or what we should pray for, but the Holy Spirit prays to God for us with sounds that cannot be put into words." Romans 8:26 NLT
Serve your family and others. People that serve others experience reduced anxiety and feel better about life. Do your best to give your best!
Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16
Be thankful. Gratitude can rewire your brain for real! People who count their blessings are happier than those who do not. Steve asks me every day what I am thankful for that day.
"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." I Thessalonians 5:18
This October, as you sip your Pumpkin Spice Latte and enjoy football and cozy nights, I encourage you to begin some ordinary spiritual habits and see what happens!
Before I forget, Steve made up for the 'less than amazing' engagement experience by giving me a new wedding ring set on our fifteenth and twenty-fifth anniversaries, which was very special. However, the ordinary gifts he gives me, like serving me coffee every morning, make him extraordinary in my eyes.
I am living an extraordinary life filled with ordinary things.
Liz
