Weekly Devotional: Embracing the Ordinary

More than I would like to admit, there are some days when I sit in a lecture and think, "Why am I here right now?"

Usually, this happens near the end of class, when I become so restless and bored that I would rather do anything else. I’ve gotten used to college classes, and the novelty of listening to my professor lecture for almost two hours has dissipated.

But how often do I truly stop to appreciate how fortunate I am to be attending college? Instead of valuing the experiences I’m paying thousands of dollars for, I use my spending as permission to avoid the work I don’t want to do. I find myself sitting there thinking, "There are other, more exciting things I could be doing right now."

In This Article:

• Ordinary Days
• Ordinary Works
• Find Purpose in the Ordinary — Pursue It at GCU

Ordinary Days

You may think I sound incredibly ungrateful — and you would be exactly right. Especially in the first few months of my college experience, I took for granted all the ordinary routines and tasks that came with college. It was only after I had matured quite a bit that I realized how much of an entitled punk I was (bless my poor professors).

In short, I thought I deserved a more exciting, challenging and extraordinary college experience. What I had was too ordinary and too much like high school. Surely, college was meant to be more like the movies and TikToks I’ve watched.

My main mistake was thinking that just because something was ordinary, it was also unimportant. We might as well stop taking showers and doing taxes too, since I’ve never heard of anyone excited about cleanliness or paperwork.

Thankfully, God knows the importance of the ordinary. In fact, there is much good to be found in the monotonous tasks we do every day.

Ordinary Works

The Bible is full of miracles, visions and extraordinary narratives. We follow great leaders and kings in perilous fights and come out victorious. After the New Testament, we have saints and martyrs whose epic accounts have inspired generations of Christians.

But what about the ordinary, run-of-the-mill good people who don’t part the Red Sea or take down giants with a rock? Is their work as meaningful as the heroes we read about?

The answer is yes, undoubtedly, yes.

The world runs on ordinary work. Imagine a homecooked meal: the ingredients in your dinner had to be grown and produced, handed over to distributors, transported and shipped to your local grocery store and stocked on the shelves before being purchased and cooked by yourself. The work was not glorious or monumental, but without it, you would have gone hungry.

Perhaps I feel unfulfilled in some of my coursework. Does this mean they aren’t important to my degree? Of course not. Without foundational coursework, I wouldn’t understand more advanced material. It all contributes to an overarching goal, an endgame or a plan God has designed.

So not only does ordinary work keep the world running, but it can also prepare us for whatever God may have in store.

In any work I do, I can offer it to God. I’m not on my own; I have God to rely on for guidance and grace. Through obedience and faith to the Lord, I can be joyful and satisfied through my efforts.

Here are a few things I like to keep in mind when learning to embrace the ordinary:

• I’m seeking God’s approval, not the world’s. — Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)
• Just because the world may not see the true value in my work, God does and rewards appropriately. — Ephesians 6:7-8 (NIV)
• God created me with my own unique talents, abilities and purpose — I should not compare myself to others. — Romans 12:6-8 (NIV)
• I am capable of anything through God. — Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
• Although I may not see it clearly, hard work pays off in the end. — Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

Most importantly, Jesus tells us, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:29 NIV). There is no greater meaning to work than when I do it in the name of Jesus Christ — something I strive to become my ordinary.

Find Purpose in the Ordinary — Pursue It at GCU

GCU offers various communities and events rooted in faith, such as ministries, Life Groups and weekly Chapel services that help students stay spiritually connected throughout their college journey. By embracing the ordinary rhythms of daily life — classes, study sessions and quiet moments of growth — you can find purpose and meaning as you pursue your degree.

If you feel called to a relationship with Christ, consider applying to GCU, where you can integrate your education with faith and discover how God works through both the big and small moments.