Sometimes I find myself questioning whether I am making a difference in this world or not. But, just so you can know me a little better, I tend to either 'overthink' situations, or I think that making a difference equals bigger, louder, more smoke and lights, fill Wembley stadium, walk on water, and so on. But the longer I live, and the more I listen to my wife (2 very good things), I understand that making a difference in peoples' lives can be as simple as showing up. In the pastoral world, we call it a ministry of presence. I also like to call it a ministry of companionship. But what does this mean? I'm glad you asked.
See...when I get caught up in my rock star dreams, where I think that the only way I can make a difference in this world is to have thousands of people at a time listening to me speak or preach or perform musically, all I'm really doing is pointing to myself. And I'm limiting what I think God can do. And, if I think about the way God usually gets the job done, it's usually in a low-key, up close and personal way. I realize there are some larger-than-life situations where God is at work, but for the most part, I think God is in the small stuff. So, I want to be in the small stuff.
And being in the small stuff means that (to borrow someone else's verbiage) average gets the job done. What?!?!? Average?!?!? That's boring, right? Well...it all depends on perspective and attitude. If I take a rock star approach to making a difference, then yes, average is boring. And if I take a rock star approach to making a difference, chances are I'll never really make a difference because chances are I'll never attain rock star status. Sad, but true.
Enter average. Yes, average. Taking an average approach doesn't mean that I'll do things half-heartedly or not care about what I do. An average approach means that I am content with where I am. In other words...where I am is where I am supposed to be. Average means that I'll take the time to read a book to folks who are in an assisted living home. Average means I'll make an effort to get to know the person who sits next to me in church (or in school, or at work, or on the bus...you get the idea). Average means that I'll believe in the ideas God plants in my soul. Average means that I can change the world, one belief at a time. Average means that I'll stand up for those who are being oppressed and hated. Average means I'll do what's right even if it's not popular. Average means I'll love and accept everyone, even if they don't love and accept me. Average means I'll show up and offer companionship even if I have no words. Come to think of it, I should offer companionship before words, and oftentimes, in place of words.
I guess what I'm saying is that if I live in the average world, I'm living! I am living a full life, completely awake. Average = full and awake. Now this might sound contradictory or paradoxical, but I believe that God wants us to experience peace and contentment. This doesn't mean that we won't fight to correct injustices. It means that within the fight to correct the imbalances, we can experience divine peace and contentment that surpasses our human understanding. It means that whatever we are going through we can experience divine peace and contentment. It's not always easy, but it can be done.
The things we do in the course of a day might seem small and insignificant to us. But to others, our interaction might just be the saving grace they have been praying for. And we might not ever fully know how deeply we touched someone, and we might not ever see the outcome, but if we're content with where we are, we'll remember that God can do greater things than we can imagine.
Here's to enjoying average!
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