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CHALLENGES IN LIVING
TOGETHER AS COMMUNITY
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Living
Ordinary Lives Extraordinarily
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by Tom
Caballes
"And
we all, with unveiled face,
beholding the glory of the Lord, are
being transformed into the same
image from one degree of glory to
another. For this comes from the
Lord who is the Spirit."
- 2
Corinthians 3:8 ESV
We live our lives in a one-direction sequence -
one day, one week, one month, and one year at a
time. From the past comes the present, and later
the future. We do not have a fast-forward button
in our lives, and neither can we rewind and undo
the mistakes of the past. Our days are like
falling dominoes in a sequence of dominoes of a
lifetime. As we walk through our daily lives, God
is calling us not just to live and then die He
is calling us to a relationship with Him so we can
live now and live forever with Him. That daily
falling dominoes of life have value, purpose, and
meaning. He is probably not calling us to be great
Saints but we are all being called to be saints
in our own little way, in our own little world,
and in our own borrowed time. That is all we can
do to please God. Are you ready to accept the
challenge of living an ordinary life lived
extraordinarily? It is not going to be easy, but
the rewards are tremendous. Are you willing to pay
the price?
So How Do You
Live an Ordinary Life in an
Extraordinary Way?
- What
can you do to promote world peace? Go home
and love your family. [Teresa of
Calcutta]. God is not probably calling you
to start a new movement or be a great
preacher, but God wants you to start where
you can make a difference right in your
own home. Think of your parents, spouse,
children or neighbours. How can you be more
loving to each of them? You cannot just
change people directly; change starts with
you.
- Aim
to make small differences daily. Continents
and islands drift apart a few centimetres a
year, but over millions of years, they make
a huge difference they can be thousands of
kilometres apart. It is the same way with
you if you want to transform your home,
school or your office, start with making
small differences daily. Over a period of
time, those actions will transform your
environment and will become a blessing to
everyone.
- Think
of and do little acts of love being
thoughtful, kind, forgiving, generous,
forbearing, understanding, and caring. It
also means not judging people and being
patient with them. Do as Jesus would in your
situation.
- Do
not worry if you fail at times if you
failed to act lovingly today, decide to
change and decide to act lovingly tomorrow.
While you are still alive, you will never be
perfect; so dont expect perfection from
anyone, including yourself. Like you, people
also fail so be forgiving and
understanding even if they do not respond to
your acts of love. The measure you set for
yourself should be the measure you have for
other people too.
- Try
to make a small difference daily in your
life and make it a habit. Thoughts lead to
acts; acts lead to habits; habits lead to
character, and character leads to destiny.
[Ralph Waldo Emerson, rephrased]
- There
is a price to pay so you can be more loving
each day. For love to be real, it must
cost, it must hurt, it must empty us of
self. [Teresa of Calcutta]. It will
cost your selfishness and your pride it
will be difficult, and it will hurt at times
until being loving becomes a lifetime habit.
The unredeemed self in us will resist
stubbornly, but are you willing to let it
die a slow death? Sometimes it looks like it
is easier to be a martyr than a saint!
- Living
an ordinary life extraordinarily will lead
to something magnificent eternal life.
There you will appreciate the life you lived
with a difference, not only for you but
also for everyone else around you.
Other Scripture passages:
- But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;
against such things there is no law. And
those who belong to Christ Jesus have
crucified the flesh with its passions and
desires. [Galatians 5:22-24 ESV]
- Other
references: Galatians 6:9-10; Ephesians
4:31-32; Ephesians 5:2; and Colossians
3:12-14.
For
personal reflection or
group sharing
- What
one act of love can you think of and do to
the one closest to you daily and
consistently?
- Are
you willing to pay the cost of living an
ordinary life extraordinarily?
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Tom
Caballes is the
National Senior
Administrator and a
National Coordinator
of the Lamb
of God, a
community of the
Sword of the Spirit
with 7 branches
located throughout
New Zealand. Tom
also leads Kairos
New
Zealand, an
outreach program for
high school,
university, and
post-university aged
people.
Tom and
his wife Mhel and
their two
daughters live in
Wellington, New
Zealand.
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