Episode #313 Unlocking Joy in Your Ordinary Days – Unforced Rhythms of Grace

Hey friend. Does life ever just feel ordinary? Laundry meetings, school pickup lines etc. You wake up, run through your day, crash into bed at night and do it all again tomorrow. Well, if that at all feels familiar to you, this episode is talking about joy and how we can experience an uncommon joy, even in mundane tasks and ordinary experiences. And that comes from a surprising place, or at least it was surprising to me. And that is obedience. Obedience to God opens the door to everyday joy. And before you click off this episode, I promise, stick around, it's different than you might think.

I wanna start us off with a passage of scripture that I don't know I've ever quoted before. It's Luke 17: 27 & 28, and I'm gonna read it for us in the New Living Translation. Jesus was teaching and it says,

“As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.’

He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11:27-28)

Now we can look back and be like, oh my gosh, Mary was amazing. She had angels come visit her and talk to Joseph in a dream, and she became pregnant with God incarnate. The only time in human history that's ever happened, she got to treasure these things about Jesus in her heart as she raised him. What an incredible gift. Surely she is blessed in the kingdom of God. Surely she's blessed in heaven!

And Jesus says, blessed rather, even more than my mom, are those who hear the word of God and obey it. Which side note, pretty sure Mary qualifies for that group here, but he's saying, Hey, don't get distracted by my mom here. The blessing comes to those who hear God's word and live it out.

There is a myriad of ways that we get to do that as we go through our everyday lives as believers, and sometimes there can be a longing for more exciting things, even in spiritual activities, for the mountaintop experiences, for mission trips and camps and big moves of God and revival in ways that stir our hearts and emotions to see miracles happen. All of those things are good, but we don't wanna discount the opportunities that we have in regular, ordinary days like today.

In Foster's book, the Celebration of Discipline, he says, “In the spiritual life only one thing will produce genuine joy, and that is obedience.”

Which makes sense when you think about it. My understanding of joy is a deeper happiness. So better, longer lasting than happiness, that is not dependent on our experiences or our circumstances.

Foster says, “To elicit genuine celebration, obedience must work itself into the ordinary fabric of our daily lives.”

He also says, “Joy is found in obedience. When the power that is in Jesus reaches into our work and our play and redeems them, there will be joy where once there was mourning. To overlook this is to miss the meaning of the incarnation, the power that is in Jesus.”

So let's think about that for a minute. The power in Jesus, God incarnate. The power that resurrected him from the dead that is now in us as believers is present with us as we work and as we play, and as we run errands and as we wake up in the morning. Whether we wake up early or we're running behind schedule, that power is present with us.

God is with you in this moment and he redeems them. It is not just that you are running an errand or folding laundry or walking to a meeting or finishing up meal prep. There is joy in this circumstance because the God of the universe is with you in it and empowers you through it.

I think about that when it comes to obedience and the things that I do because I am obeying the Lord, because I want to live in the ways that honor him and please him and glorify him. The things that I do to take care of my family. To show love to someone in my life. To care for my neighbor. The things that I do that are sacrificial or loving or kind. The things that I do to walk out the transformation that he's doing in my mind and in my heart. The thoughts I take captive. The attitudes that I cultivate. The things that I don't watch or listen to, and the things that I do. The way I engage in a conversation. All of those are moments where the power of Jesus can reach in and redeem them.

And when I think about those things that way, it brings joy to me. It brings joy that my obedience and your obedience are not dependent on our own abilities, but can be empowered by the Holy Spirit of our living God who works in us and through us, that I can live today as a transformed person. I am different than I used to be. And so no matter what is ahead of you and your to-do list or your schedule, there's opportunities to walk out in partnership with God in obedience for what he has for you, and to experience his joy as you do so.

And so, here's a question that you can take to God today to explore this topic more with him:

God, in what ordinary aspect of my life do you want to share joy with me today?

Have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

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