02/19/2025
The mundane acts of life... do they drag you down or define you in your faith? Moreover, are they mundane at all, or just the day to day living of a life of faith? We read all the time about the great men and women of faith, but writers and pastors rarely speak of those who go quietly about their lives serving God in all of the small routine chores and expectations of a righteous life. We seldom hear about the foot washers, those humble souls that work both day and night for the kingdom with little recognition outside of heaven.
“And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day: And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.”
Isaiah 58:10-11 KJV
The word today is mundane… There are two definitions of this word, the first says it is "relating to, or characteristic of this world" and the second says that it is something that is "characterized by the practical, transitory, and ordinary."
St. Catherine's Monastery, an Eastern Orthodox monastery, sits at the foot of Mt. Sinai in Egypt and is said to be the oldest working Christian monastery in existence. It is built at the site where Moses is believed to have witnessed the burning bush. Yet, despite the fact that it has been in existence since the year 548 and has continuously housed those seeking Christ, as they created Icons and performed various tasks for the kingdom, you are probably just now hearing about its existence and certainly can't name any of those who have served the kingdom doing everyday tasks in service to Christ there. Aren’t our daily Christian lives much like those of the men who have served for centuries in obscurity at St. Catherine's? Don’t most of us go quietly through our lives worshiping and doing the mundane for Christ?
As we consider this today, ask yourself who cleans the bathrooms at your church? Who takes the refuse to the dumpster, mows the grass, weeds the beds, fills the communion glasses, and orders supplies? These are mundane tasks that when done in the right spirit are done in obscurity for the glory of God and are holy. But this kind of service, life, and holiness, are not limited to the walls of the church… Who mows the grass for the elderly woman down the street, takes a crippled man to the doctor each month, helps a child with their homework, serves meals at a food kitchen, loves their spouse every day as Christ loved the church, or washes the clothes and bodies of those who can't fend for themselves? These are also holy activities when done with a Christ-like Spirit and as a manifestation of our faith. But rarely are they recognized for the righteousness they embody. They are done like so many of our prayers... in secret, and for the glory of God alone.
Do you recognize these acts in your life, and the lives of others, for what they are? Do you honor them as godly? How about if you heard of a woman who donated her time to bathe invalids every day for a year? Would that be worthy of notice? How about if she did it every day for a decade, or maybe until she became so old that others had to bathe her? When does the mundane become holy in our eyes? Well... It should happen each and every time someone serves in faith. Isn't that the message Jesus was delivering to His disciples as He washed their feet? You should never consider yourself as being above the mundane, because you are first and foremost a servant.
Pastor Oswald Chambers said this very well when he wrote these words...
"It requires the inspiration of God to go through drudgery with the light of God upon it. Some people do a certain thing and the way in which they do it hallows that thing for ever afterwards. It may be the most commonplace thing, but after we have seen them do it, it becomes different. When the Lord does a thing through us, He always transfigures it. Our Lord took on Him our human flesh and transfigured it, and it has become for every saint the temple of the Holy Ghost." - Oswald Chambers
We have all seen this holiness in those around us; a simple thing that was made Holy by how, or why, it was done. We also know people who live their entire lives never dreaming of becoming a superhero of faith, or even viewing themselves as a humble sidekick, no, they serve only as a walk-on extra in the serial of life and faith. Yet, as we watch them, we realize that they have reached superhero proportion by doing the everyday things in righteousness. They are "Mundane Man" or "Super Jesus Mom", and reflect Christ in the myriad of small, but holy, things they do. Others might see us that way too, but only if we order our lives to reflect God and do each of the small things silently for His glory and purposes. Life for most of us isn't made up of grand quests that reach biblical proportion... our lives are millions upon millions of mundane things; all done with love and Christian intent.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”
Isaiah 60:1 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for my mundane life, and all the simple and thankless things I do to glorify you. Father, as I serve others in the common needs of life, let me do so in a spirit that is of you. Help me to find in my efforts the reflection of you, and your Son Jesus Christ. May my life be comprised of millions of tiny mirrors, each seemingly insignificant, but every one of them reflecting your light, and a righteous image of you. Let me see you looking back at me from the eyes of those I help, and at the end of the day when I rest and reflect on my work, show me your pleasure, and give me your peace. Lord, in those things I do quietly and solely for you, through the tasks I accomplish secretly for your kingdom, let them remain between us and become jewels that we can bring out in our quiet times together and marvel at in their intricate beauty... let us appreciate them, just you and me, like tiny ships in a bottle, unseen by all but we two. Let the mundane in my life be a blessing to you... and to all those I serve in your name. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who walks with me in moments of solitude and speaks of wonders, great and small, whispering them into my trembling ear. Holy are you whose mercy and grace are sufficient for me in all things created and uncreated. Unworthy do I feel before you and yet you call me your friend, your child, holy, righteous, and pleasing to you. What great thing have I done to deserve this? What service have I offered you that you would consider me in this way? How is it that a tiny seed of faith that I have let fall from my hand could ever capture your attention, or meager morsel of food I have shared with another have satisfied your hunger for my love. You magnify me Lord, though I am small, and you treat my meager offerings of sweat and pence as if they were a widow’s mite. Praised be your name always for seeing my least as the most, my weakness as strength, my lameness as being fleet, and every tiny act of love I offer you, each touch a caress, every brush of my weather worn lips a gentle kiss, and all I do for you as epic… being offered for your eternal glory. Hear my thanks, my praise, my pleas for forgiveness, and every raspy song I sing to you in this, my prayer, and make it more than I could dream… make it righteous, holy, and eternally holy and pleasing to you. Hear me as I call out…
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Amen!
“And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.””
Mark 12:42-44 ESV
“There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.”
1 Samuel 2:2 ESV
“but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.””
1 Peter 1:15-16 ESV
Rich Forbes