Guest Post by Rachael Adams
Does your life feel too insignificant to make a significant impact? There have certainly been times when my life has.
I’ve lived in a rural Kentucky town for the majority of my life. I’ve been married for 16 years and have two middle school children. Most of my days, I wake up to my alarm, brew a cup of coffee, and sit down with the Bible. After my quiet time with the Lord, I walk the dogs, pack lunches, and take the kids to school. While they are away from home, I write, podcast, make beds, meal prep, and do laundry. After school, I drive my children to their activities, watch ball games, help with homework, and wash dishes.
And the next day, I do it all over again.
While our to-do lists may differ, I suspect we share similar feelings about our tasks. After a while, our activities can seem monotonous, and therefore, we begin to discount who we are and what we are doing.
But let’s consider Jesus for a moment and how He lived His life on earth. He was born as a baby in the tiny town of Bethlehem and never traveled outside of a 100-mile radius. He spent most of his childhood in the small Jewish village of Nazareth, and as a carpenter’s son, He spent His time learning His earthly father’s trade and studying His Heavenly Father’s Scriptures. At the age of 30, He began His official ministry. For three years, He walked along the roads, teaching and talking with people. He attended celebrations and funerals. He shared meals with family and friends. He noticed people, healed people, told parables, was present with the multitudes, and gave one-on-one attention to individuals. Nothing was too insignificant for the Savior of the world, therefore nothing is too insignificant for us.
Jesus’ disciples provide another example of how God brings meaning to our mundane. Just like Jesus, they lived their days in simple yet miraculous ways. Even so, they, like us, were very ordinary. The men Jesus asked to follow Him were tax collectors, fishermen, and political activists, yet Jesus told them they would do more than He had done (John 14:12) and that the gospel would spread from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
They likely wondered how this would come to pass, especially after Jesus was crucified. The answer was revealed when the Holy Spirit arrived at Pentecost. God’s Spirit came upon the disciples and empowered them to live out their call. Though they were still ordinarily human, they now had the extraordinary God within them.
But have you ever thought about what happened after Pentecost? This was an amazing moment in the life of the disciples, yet they still had daily responsibilities and tasks to continue—sleeping, preparing meals, caring for their homes, mending clothes, and having conversations with family and friends. I wonder if in these moments after the momentous moment at Pentecost they second-guessed their contributions too. If they questioned how they would spread the gospel in the midst of their ordinary days, especially in light of what Jesus had told them He wanted them to do. Did it feel unlikely without Jesus with them? Maybe even impossible?
On one such ordinary day, Peter and John were going about their daily routine. Acts 3 tells us the men were going to the temple to pray, similarly to how we attend church on Sunday. On their way into the temple, they saw a crippled man. Instead of passing him by, Peter and John stopped and healed him. The man left this seemingly ordinary encounter walking, jumping, and praising God. As a result of this interaction, everyone else in the temple courts was filled with wonder and amazement.
What strikes me about this event, which occurred not long after Pentecost, is that it happened along the way. It transpired as Peter and John were going about their routine. But because the Holy Spirit was inside them, they were able to bring transformation to the man in their path. It wasn’t anything special about these men, but it was the Son of Man inside of them that was so special and brought about transformation. Peter and John were simply sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading and quick to obey when the Lord prompted them to notice another man in need of help.
We are all in need of help in one form or another, aren’t we? We know what it was like to be waiting for someone to see us, acknowledge us, and offer us Christ’s love. This was the story of the disciples. This is the story of the crippled man. And this is our story. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have experienced your own Pentecost moment, when the Holy Spirit filled your life. And since you have the Holy Spirit residing in you, you have all you need to make a difference in the world. We no longer have to doubt our contributions or question what we have to offer because we are offering Christ.
Our ministry will be much like Jesus’ and the disciples. We too can be present with people, clothe the poor, feed the hungry, attend celebrations, share meals, intercede in prayer, and tell our stories. These extraordinary moments will all likely happen along the way during our ordinary days. The key is we simply must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s voice and obey His promptings. No matter our age, experience, locations, giftings, or season, His Spirit is available to us all. It is our universal call and we all have a role in sharing the Good News of the gospel. The question for each of us to answer is this: Will we trust that God has given us all we need to fulfill His commands? If our answer is yes, then our part is to offer all we have to God and trust Him with the outcome.
Friend, a significant life is simpler than you think. Let’s not get discouraged or numb to all the little ways God is working through us. Trust God to guide your days and use every little moment for His Kingdom and His glory. What could be any more significant or worthwhile than a life devoted to following our Savior and helping others to follow Him too? God can use every little thing you do to impact eternity. How will you share the gospel in the midst of your ordinary day today?
Rachael Adams is the author of A Little Goes a Long Way: 52 Days to a Significant Life and the host of The Love Offering podcast. She hopes to help women realize their God-given purpose and significance. Rachael and her husband, Bryan, run a family business and farm in Kentucky with their two children, Will and Kate, and two doodle dogs. Her work has been featured on Crosswalk, iBelieve, Today Parenting, and YouVersion. Rachael would love to hear how you’ve seen God take your little a long way. Connect with her by visiting rachaelkadams.com, by searching @rachaeladamsauthor on social media, and by tuning in to The Love Offering podcast every Tuesday on your favorite listening platform.
