Miniscule Monotony

I just started thinking about this about 20 minutes ago or thereabouts. The way we walk with Christ is so small. Part of what I often am tempted to find attractive about Christianity are these huge, important, moving speeches recorded in scripture. Like where Paul talks about being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12) or where he says he forgets those things behind him and presses on for the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3). The idea of doing something really powerful and dramatic to demonstrate my obedience to God is delightful. And don't mistake my purpose in writing this note! Such sacrifices are both delightful to God and worthy of much praise as they show God to be worth a great deal more than the secular world says He is! But so often I get bogged down when there ARE no valiant deeds of faith for me to do. Normal days include me getting up, doing some reading, checking my emails, and going to work at a societally insignificant job in the fast food industry. There is no bold, passionate defense of my faith needed, no national leader to share the gospel with, no opportunity to suffer any worse persecution for my faith than perhaps to be laughed at or made to feel stupid. What is there on these days? There is quiet, deliberate meditation. There is prayer. There is fasting. There is worship. The transformation that comes from the renewing of our minds is a simple thought process whereby God's word is digested into our hearts. Sometimes the pressing on for the prize of the upward calling simply means continuing in prayer day by day and conversing with our Maker in a sweet, intimate silence that only we are aware of. I am tempted to place many well renowned pastors and Christian authors on a pedestal because they seem great in my eyes. I'm seeing them through the eyes of my flesh and they look very important and influential to my flesh. God, however, may be even more pleased with an old, gray haired woman who lives alone but has prayed for their ministry day by day, asking God to strengthen them to speak the truth. You never hear about people like that though. Their job seems so insignificant compared to the one who is benefited by their quiet, ongoing communion with the Almighty. I have a feeling that when we get to heaven, at the top of the pack, the ones who get the greatest, most lavish rewards bestowed on them by our King will be people which we have never heard of or seen in all our lives. Perhaps Martin Luther would have been nothing more than a tiny, insignificant monk had a small, quiet, timid old woman not been praying for him. I'm convinced that Jerry Falwell would never have even become a Christian had it not been for his mother's daily, faithful prayer for him.

What do I glean from this? That, ultimately, our daring, brave, spectacular acts of faith don't have as great a chance of getting noticed by God as our tiny, little, insignificant acts of daily discipline, daily reading, daily meditation, daily service, daily mercy, and daily worship in the quiet places of our heart. "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much..." (Luke 16:10). Faithfulness is a characteristic that we either have or we do not have. It's nonsense to say, "Well, I'm not really responsible for that much right now. I just work at Captain D's. It's fast food. I'll be much more responsible when I get my first real job in my field or when God gives me something to be very faithful with." Faithfulness is faithfulness. Either you have it or you don't. God looks to those who are faithful and if you are faithful in little things, that prompts God to promote you to a more important role.

Be faithful, therefore, as it is a great pleasure to our King and is definitive evidence that we are becoming like Him. "But the fruit of the Spirit is... faithfulness..." (Galatians 5:22). Don't be faithful to get noticed. Be faithful to be faithful. Be faithful to please your Father. Walk quietly beside Him in the loud, obvious swell of the day. Seek Him by the quiet waters and your soul will not be disappointed. The cultivation of the inner life is something I greatly need. I feel strongly that it is something we all need. For the inner life is what God is most interested in.