There is no 'ordinary' with God

Sometimes life seems just fairly ‘ordinary’.

I was reminded of that, when I sat in the garden for a few minutes today, with my camera, hoping to maybe see a new butterfly.

I saw loads of butterflies and as one point as I walked from one part of the garden to another it felt like I was walking through butterflies, there were so many.

But though there were many, the variety today was unusually very limited.

Out of 50 species spotted in our garden last year, today almost every butterfly was a one of just a few types and mostly just black and white. The ones that weren’t black and white only, were mostly black and white except for one.

No vibrant colours today, no interesting designs, no new species to spot.

It felt very ordinary.

It is so easy to get disappointed. I had great expectations, but they weren’t fulfilled.

I realised that my butterfly world, had something to teach me, about life in our modern world.

We have access to so much, both materially, and informationally via media.  We can so easily move from appreciating the joy of exploring and discovering God’s amazing world, to our discoveries and learning feeding a lack of contentment.

These butterflies taught me today to remember that we hold those two things - discovery and contentment - in tension. While its good to seek, and seek more and never stop seeking to know God more and appreciate Him more, we must simultaneously learn to be content no matter what situation we are in - whether in plenty or not.

In all situations, we have to learn, I need to keep learning…to be thankful in all circumstances - lots of new butterflies or just a few plain black and white ones - all are special, all are God’s handiwork, all are part of his sovereignty, and thus his plans and purposes for my day.

We might think about not coveting what belongs to someone else, but I was challenged that I can even covet what was given to me yesterday. God is not obligated to give me today, exactly the same way as he gave to me yesterday. Today he has something different for me, that is no less important and needed for my growth in knowing what it means to give all glory to him in everything.  Not being satisfied in him inhibits him being glorified in me! Not being satisfied in him, is saying he doesn’t know how to bless me or know what is good for me, and that’s not even close to a righteous attitude!

My disappointment, I realised, hindered me from stopping to enjoy the fact that God can do so many different variations of just black and white butterflies. My moment of disappointment robbed me of joy and robbed God of the glory due to him….and in the process robbed me of realising a new facet of the awe of God’s creativity!

Do you have ordinary days? 

 ...Days you are disappointed when you really have no need to be?

…days like me when you are reminded you still need to learn more about contentment, and not miss a new perspective on God’s greatness?  

If we believe God is in control, then when we feel disappointed in some aspect of our lot in life, we are really saying we are disappointed in God, that he let us down…that he failed…which is something he cannot and does not do. When we feel that pang of disappointment, it is a sure signal that it’s not God who has disappointed us, but at that moment we are disappointing God by not seeing what he wants us to see, know and understand in that moment in order to honour him as we should.

There is no ordinary with God…it may feel ‘ordinary’ to us….but we need to remind ourselves that every moment from him is valuable, and every response of ours should be to honour him in thankfulness and worship (Romans 1:21).