Extra-ordinary gifts

It’s back to ordinary again.

For our family, the past week and a half has been a time of relaxation, travel, time with grandparents, fun times, home project accomplished and date nights.

It’s been quiet here at home with the kids at grandparents for a week and a half.  It’s given me time to replenish.

 

But I was ready again for ordinary. Right before the huge storm arrived this afternoon, they safely arrived home.

I didn’t have enough ears to hear both our kids talking at the same time excitedly telling stories of their time away at grandparents.  Stories of going to a stock auction for the first time, hearing an auctioneer for the first time, swimming with cousins, seeing an amazing production of Jonah, a big buffet, picnicking on the mountain and eating the “best corn on the cob they’ve ever had in their life” that they bought from the Mennonites.

This week-away at grandparents has been a summer tradition for 12 years now and it’s been a sweet gift for all of us…time to spoil grandkids, time for grandkids to make special memories they’ll have from their summers there, and time for me and my husband to rest and reconnect.

I am ready for ordinary again though.  I’m ready for the anticipation of what extraordinary will come out of the “ordinary” in the soon-to-be new school year as summer’s end draws nearer. 

This morning I read in Acts 4:13 how the leaders of Jerusalem had just heard Peter and John tell their story of Jesus and his miracles.  The leaders “realized how Peter and John were ordinary fellows – with extraordinary confidence... they recognized them as companions of Jesus.”

To have that extraordinary confidence…being part of an ordinary day.  The ordinary of making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, carpooling to soccer practice and art class, doing laundry, listening to how his day at work was, making dinner, reminding to brush teeth. 

And in the midst of doing all of those daily- ordinary things I want to be a mom and wife with extra-ordinary confidence that I’m doing OK.  That I’m doing all of those daily-ordinary things with an extra-ordinary passion of wanting to do them well for Jesus…well for my family…well for me and my need for a daily walk with my companion Jesus (even on days when I might be running with my long to-do list, or dragging because I’m worn out).

Jesus gives extra-ordinary grace, extra-ordinary forgiveness, extra-ordinary love.  Ordinary in the way where that’s just what he does …every day.  He gives grace, forgiveness, love and multitudes of other daily-ordinary gifts… but with extra amounts that overflows and that I know I don’t deserve.

I want to…need to… recognize those ordinary things in my day-to-day events with extraordinary confidence, not in myself because it wouldn’t get me very far, but only by my Companion.

Thanks be to God for…

#786  grandparents and aunt/uncle/cousins for helping make fond memories for our kids this summer

#787  dates with husband

#788  a new vacuum cleaner

#789  finishing a home project with husband

#790  not cooking for a week

#791  Acts 4:13

#792  kids saw the play Jonah learning again from God’s Story

#793  a yellow finch perched on top of a sunflower plucking out seeds

#794  that I’m an ordinary child of God who gives extra amounts of grace and love and forgiveness that overflows and which I know I don’t deserve but am given anyway.