Why an Ordinary Life Can Be a Good Life. - The School of Life
Updated: Oct 9, 2022
Video for The School of Life
“We live in an age with a high regard for extraordinary lives – that is, lives that the vast majority of us will never lead. Our heroes have made outsized fortunes, appeared on gigantic screens and demonstrated unique virtue and talent. Their achievements are both dazzling and continuously, in the background, humiliating…” from video introduction
Christians are supposed to have an impact on the world in which we live. To do so Christians are asked to simply care about what God cares about. Ordinary Christians for example should love their neighbor through acts of kindness and mercy while sharing the good news of Jesus. Ordinary Christians should regularly befriend people and like Jesus, are a “friend of sinners” (Matthew 11:19). We must open our hearts and our doors and show hospitality by caring for foster children, ministering to veterans, or bringing a homeless person to the house for dinner.
Christians can and do turn the world upside down. You don’t have to move to the jungle or across the world in order to live radically for Jesus. Overseas missionary work might be what Jesus calls you to do with your life. Or, Jesus might simply call you to do your mission work in your neighborhood, for example invite the single mom at church over for dinner. You might be called to adopt a child or speak out against sex-trafficking at the next small group meeting.
Living radically for Jesus might not look radical at all. And you might and probably never will be recognized for your ordinary Christian life. But that’s ok. The ordinary Christian life is about the glory of God’s name, not yours.