Nothing to see here-it's just an ordinary day

The ordinary gets bad press. The ordinary is seen as dull, boring, routine and unimpressive. Something to be endured while you search for the extraordinary. We chase the spectacular while dismissing the usual. Tunnel vision for what happens rarely and blinkered against the daily miracles.

What if we began to marvel at the world around us.

Leaves clinging to the branches, readying themselves to release their grip and preparing the tree for the winter ahead. No longer a burden to the tree but a covering for hedgehogs and much-needed nutrients for tired soil.

What if we opened our ears to the sound of birds. Being present in the here and now, not longing for a time past or a time yet to come.

But I think we should go further. What if we opened our eyes to the slouched shoulders, the downcast eyes, the quiet deep sighs of those around us. Beginning to see them not as extras in a movie about me but as living eternal beings.

CS Lewis said “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal… it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit — immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.”

How different would our world be if we brought this idea into our ordinary day.

I often pray that God would open my eyes to see the world as Jesus sees it. Yes to see the sadness and respond with Jesus' compassion but also to see the splendour and respond with Jesus' joy. I cannot imagine Jesus being indifferent to the beauty around him. Why would he not rejoice in the good things, for all things were made by him and for him (Colossians 1v16).

If he is this world’s Creator, we should expect the ordinary to have an extra quality, the routine to have hidden surprises and the usual to sparkle.

Do you see it? When you do, the right response is to say “Wow, thank you Jesus”