Go Ahead and Be Nobody Special

So suggests Matt Redmond at his post here. This post has been on my mind a while. I didn't know really how to start it, so I didn't and I kept putting it off. What Redmond posts has been resonating with me lately. To me, it is a breath of fresh air in light of all the GREAT LIFE CHANGING things we are supposed to do as believers.

Our pastors tell us we are supposed to be WORLD CHANGERS. Delirious told us we were to be HISTORY MAKERS. Books tell us we are to be RADICAL, ON FIRE and any number of amazing things we are supposed to do. 

Well, maybe it is just me, but I sometimes have a hard enough time making it through the day not saying something stupid and hurting someone, or doing something or not doing something that does the same. My daughter weighs the same as she has last year. She alternates between anxiety about food, fear, just not wanting to eat out of stubbornness. We have been working for more than a year trying to help her. My wife sometimes feels defeated by the realization that everything we have tried does not seem to do much. The feelings of inadequacy, failure, and frustration loom large. Regular life has too much pressure.

Then, we go to church, needing comfort and rest and what are we told? We are not doing enough, giving enough, volunteering enough, NOT CHANGING THE WORLD enough. ENOUGH is right. Maybe it is just me, but "Go CHANGE THE WORLD! doesn't help. It makes me feel even more like I am screwing up. Cause, man, I can't handle myself, my family, my job, my life. And I also have to change the world!? 

But I say, “Be nobody special.” Do your job. Take care of your family. Clean your house. Mow your yard. Read your Bible. Attend worship. Pray. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Love your spouse. Love your kids. Be generous. Laugh with your friends. Drink your wine heartily. Eat your meat lustily. Be honest. Be kind to your waitress. And expect no special treatment. And do it all quietly.

Sometimes, I can barely do this. But it is much more comforting. Much more hopeful. Much more doable. And the cool thing? I don't think believers are called to change the world. I may be missing it, but I don't know what verses tell me I need to.

And that, my friends, is good news. Sometimes ordinary faithfulness is good. Maybe it is more good than we realize.