Faith is a commonly used word, but do we truly understand its meaning? The confusion arises from how it is used in everyday conversation. As Christians, we must strive to have great faith, but is it okay to have small and ordinary faith?
If you know me, the heading of this article may catch you off guard. My usual message is to promote extraordinary faith rather than settling for a regular and unremarkable level of faith. However, before you think I’ve lost my mind, let me explain my viewpoint.
We often search for our calling in life, expecting something extraordinary from God, but we fail to recognize the value in the ordinary.
I am sure you are familiar with the story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17). Saul needed someone to take down Goliath, the giant, and David felt he could do it. David told Saul how he had taken down bears and removed sheep from their mouths. David explained how he had already done some overcoming in his everyday life as a shepherd. David was trying to convince Saul he was already prepared for the task of taking down a giant. The typical daily steps of this shepherd taking down bears and removing sheep from the mouths of bears had prepared David to take down a giant – he was ready!
You friend have been preparing as well. In the darkest moments, you were being prepared. In the ordinary moments, you were being prepared. David tended sheep; that was his everyday life. Every day the same, every day about those sheep. Even taking out bears and lions had become part of his daily life. It was part of what needed to be done to keep his sheep alive.
David fearlessly stepped onto the scene to face a giant who had intimidated all of Israel’s armies. But what gave this young shepherd boy the confidence to take on such a challenge? Unbeknownst to them present that day, the seemingly humble weaponry of David’s sling and stone posed a formidable threat to the mighty Goliath. David, day after day, had learned how to use that sling. He knew how to choose just the suitable size stone to take out whatever was standing in the way of his flock’s lives. So, that day on the battlefield, David knew just how to use what was in his hand and to trust God had already prepared him.
I hear you ask, don’t we need to nurture our faith? Absolutely, but at times, we get so caught up in pursuing our desired lifestyle that we overlook that we live exactly how God intended us to. Even in our ordinary day, we are in preparation for the greater. It is often easy to get caught up in thoughts of what we may lack. However, this preoccupation with our perceived shortcomings can be a significant distraction from the important work that God has laid before us in the present moment. By staying mindful of the task at hand and focusing on the blessings we do have, we can better align ourselves with His divine path and make meaningful progress toward our goals.
Every part of our ordinary life is a preparation for what God has coming up, and we just need to shift our focus to using our faith on the small and common things of our day-to-day lives. Day in and day out, David protected those sheep; day in and day out, he fed and watered them; day in and day out, he used his ordinary sling and small stones to perfect his aim. David never thought he was perfecting his aim to remove a giant; this was to him a regular everyday activity. It is highly probable that David must have experienced moments when he pondered the value of his trusty old sling. The uninteresting nature of his life, tending to the sheep, could have led him to aspire for grander and more meaningful accomplishments.
Our faith should be grown daily through small and ordinary tasks, with daily preparation. When God calls us to do something, we must be ready and prepared. Whether it’s teaching the nursery at church, taking out the trash at work, or baking cookies for our child’s class, we must approach every task with faith and dedication. It is through these small, ordinary moments in our daily lives that we can strengthen our faith and prepare ourselves for whatever God has in store for us.
Instead of waiting for God to use us in a big way, we should focus on the small and ordinary tasks we do every day. These actions are exactly what God needs us to do to make a difference in the world. They also prepare us for any challenges we may face in the future, just like David was ready to face Goliath.