Thursday, October 10, 2013

Five Minute Friday: Ordinary (Day 11 in the 31 Days Project)

Five Minute FridayIt’s these moments towards the end of the week that I find myself looking forward to; giddy with anticipation like a kid a Christmas. That one night of the week when my phone goes wild and blows up with Twitter notifications followed by the sudden hush when the prompt is revealed and all the writers duck out to do what we do best. It’s a fellowship of friends that gather here to write into the wee hours of the morning; then reading each others words and sharing encouragement as we go. Yes, this community opens wide and invites you in to share. Come and visit and read. You will be blessed.

This Week: Ordinary

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What they don’t tell you – in all the literature that talks about crisis and management and preparing for difficult situations – what they don’t prepare you for, is how to exist in your crisis in the midst of everyone else's normal existence.

You’re standing on the brink of financial ruin; facing a health crisis that may or may not be the end of you; shutting the door on the most important relationship of your life; holding the hand of your dying loved one while their final breath whispers away. It can be anything. You’re in the midst of a swirling vortex around you that sometimes feels so tangible you think, surely they can hear, surely they can see. And you wait for someone to raise their head in wonder at the terrible storm descending on your head.

But instead, you watch in stunned disbelief as life goes on around you. People living their ordinary lives: running into Starbucks to spend $6 on a coffee drink that you realize could have paid for dinner; taking off on vacations you’re never going to go on; filling their grocery carts with four different kinds of expensive cheese and three kinds of gourmet crackers while you duck down to the very bottom shelf and load up on Top Ramen – 7 for a dollar. Friends, family, and people you don’t know are taking day trips into neighboring cities while you stick close to your neighborhood and try not to go anywhere because every drop of gas costs something. People are out there, lining up for movies and paying $15 for popcorn and drinks and you recycle the movies you have a home and hope the library has something good this week that someone else hasn’t picked up before you. As the woman behind you reaches over your shoulder to grab a pack of toilet paper, you try not to let the frown on your face give away the horrible decision in your mind: toilet paper or be late on the utility bill.

photo by pippalou
It’s not a matter of begrudging anyone their good life or their good fortune or their blessings. This is their ordinary life and this is yours. For now. In the midst of the desert.  But the hard part is not knowing when it’s going to end. Not knowing how long in this kind of ordinary means being a little bit colder, a little bit leaner, and just a little bit more lonely.

Because that’s one of the hardest things to convey – the thing that no one tells you about – ordinary in the desert can be very lonely.

And can I be honest with you? You never know who’s in the midst of a desert experience. That guy that sits in the office and laughs with you? He might be covering up the painful truth that his little girl has leukemia. That woman in front of you in the grocery store line – the one that makes you so impatient? She might be calculating the cost down to the penny to make sure she can feed her family for the week.

This is a call for grace. An invitation to be gentle to those around us. A humble request to consider others and their situations – even if we don’t know what those situations are.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. 
1 Peter 4:8-10

We have been given grace so that we can extend it freely and with loving generosity to those around us. Whatever our ordinary circumstances may be, we have it within us to be the hands and feet of Christ to those whose ordinary lives we touch.

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How to Join
Want to know about Lisa Jo Baker, how Five Minute Friday got started, and how to participate? All the details are here. No editing or second guessing. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community.

I'd love to connect with you some more - stop on by the Three Bees Facebook Page or connect with me on Twitter @3BeesBlueBonnet. Let's continue the conversation! Want more in the 31 Days of Lessons in the Desert series? Just click here!

27 comments :

  1. It has been FAR too long since we have talked, friend. And as always, such beauty and truth from your heart. Love you. We need to catch up soon, okay? Maybe??? :)

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    1. Yes it has been and I've been missing you. Lurking and reading your words, but missing the exchanges we had a while back. Things are finally calming down at work and I may have a bit more elasticity to allow me to say hello more often - and other things - as I like. I don't want to get too far away from where you are with your novel and everything else. Sending you love and hugs.

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  2. I think we're in need of a catch up date - like Vanessa said. :) There's just no way you wrote this in 5...but man it makes me think of a video I told my roommate about yesterday. The Chick-fil-A video about how every person is dealing with their own thing behind-the-scenes. Have you seen it? Thinking of you tonight, friend. You write with a grace.

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    1. I would love to do that ladybug girl! You cross my mind and I wonder how things are going with your full plate and college and internship and everything that you do. It's amazing what will pour out of your in a few minutes when tears and memories pave the way. Seriously. Thank you for your words!

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  3. I love the power of your words here, friend. One of my favorite quotes is "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." Thank you for the reminder to extend grace over and over, especially in the situations we don't know. Love this post...happy Friday to you. You are a blessing to this community, friend! :)

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    1. Love that quote too - even more now having been through this space of learning in the desert. Thank you for your encouragement tonight! You inspire not only here, but in your life - you amazing 10K runner!

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  4. Sometimes the weight of a financially lean time is very lonely...especially when everyone else seems to be going and doing...its also freeing though..to realize that life can exist with very little...That He is Enough...its a truth being learned many times in my life...sometimes i wonder...will i ever get it?... I hope that you aren't in a desert right now...i loved the scripture you quoted here...Consider it pure joy my sister when you face trials of many kinds knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance....I heard recently a pastor say that God most wants to produce perseverance in His children..thats what all these deserts do...persevere through the arid soul zapping heat, with the hope in our chest that one step at a time God will have a well for us and does have one ...just like he did for Hagar

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    1. Summer, thank you so much for stopping by and for your kind thoughts. We are out of the desert now - this series is a lot of reflection on that time and on His faithfulness during that journey. Love you you mention Hagar - I have another link up I join with on Mondays and I *just* wrote about her and her lessons from the desert.

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  5. We never know who is going through the pretense of keeping up with the ordinary, or just trying to live a little of the ordinary. Well said. A good reminder to see with new eyes, to feel with a heart like Jesus, and to use our God-given gifts to help and not harm. There are blessings in the ordinary.

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    1. I'm so glad you stopped by Janet. This time of reflection has been so rich for me. And a reminder that I never want to get so far away that I can't remember what it feels like. I want to remember so I can keep my compassion at the forefront.

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  6. "A call for grace". Absolutely! I love this. Beautiful and inspiring words today!

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  7. I have experienced the loneliness of he desert and I pray to never be there by myself again. This is so raw, so true, so lovely.

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    1. I know you have Sarah, and your story of redemption is such a beautiful blessing. So glad that you have come through yours.

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  8. Rebekah your words are so very powerful especially today. As we walk through our ordinary lives I pray our eyes are opened to needs and struggles of all those around us. Thank you for sharing your life and how God brought you through it.

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    1. Writing in humble obedience to what I hear Him calling me to. I thank you for your encouragement and for sharing these words and experiences. I hope that they will bring hope to someone else in the midst of a desert and so point them back to Christ.

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  9. I love you! And this, right here: "This is a call for grace. An invitation to be gentle to those around us. A humble request to consider others and their situations – even if we don’t know what those situations are." You know me... and this is so my heart! Kindred... and anything but Ordinary!

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    1. You know, I have to invite myself to do this every day - I still need those reminders. Even the crazy folks in front of us in the drive through need that grace - right?!? Thank you faithful friend. You bless me.

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  10. Love love love this call for grace! I've been there in my life too and your words are spot on. Thanks for the reminder that we may not know what's going on behind someone else's bravado! It's a call for us to be more compassionate and in turn to be more transparent about our own ordinary situations. Much love to you!

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    1. I know you've been there in the desert too Holly! Praying that your time is short and that He will bring through to a beautiful oasis in His timing and through His grace.

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  11. Just so wonderful a post. Painful, true. But the call to grace as a verb... extending it because we are all broken and you just don't know what the other person is going through. So so good.

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    1. I think so many words like that: grace, love, faith - they can all be verbs. There is action there for us to take - that we must take. And you are so right, we become better equipped to do this once we have suffered through brokenness of our own.

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  12. I love, love, love this! I too have walked through deserts of many kinds and no one knew. We need to give grace first, because we don't know what is going on in the lives of those around us. Beautiful!

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    1. Thank you Kim. You've shared so transparently about some of your struggles and have encouraged me through doing so. We never know, do we! So much need for grace!

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  13. Beautiful post friend! Love the imagery that you painted with this post. and so true: you never know what people's story are and so every deserves grace.

    Visiting from FMF!

    Have a beautiful and extraordinary weekend!

    Jessica
    http://mybeautifulli.blogspot.com/2013/10/blogging-about-blogging.html

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    1. I appreciate your words Jessica. Thank you for stopping by. I enjoy my FMF peeps so very much!

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  14. Wow! That one really took me back to our desert experience. I know exactly how it feels to choose the top ramen, make a choice between the toilet paper and the utility bill and how low it feels to walk into the public assistance office and hope someone will help you feed your kids. I've been there sister.

    You wrote about it beautifully and I remembered each moment of wondering "Is this ever going to end?"

    But God is so faithful isn't He? Week after week He provided for us and I will never look at a woman using her EBT card the same way again. Because I was that woman once. Thank you for reminding us that we never know who is struggling and to be Christ to everyone. You ROCK!!!

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Thank you for the kindess of your comment. I pray your patience with the word verification. I've had such troubles with spammers lately. Thank you for grace. I look forward to reading all the comments and responding. I appreciate you!