Faithful Friday 11
The Sacred in the Ordinary
Happy Friday, friends!
I hope your week has held more mercies than messes, but if not, grab that cup of coffee (or a glass of wine if it’s already evening) and settle in for our weekly chat.
As you're reading this, I am hopefully tucked into a lake house with my best friends from college. But as I write it, I am in the thick of preparing to leave, doing alllll the things we moms have to do to make sure our homes and families can somehow function without us! Jk, jk… I know my husband is reading this, so I had to poke the bear a little.
But seriously, writing this particular Faithful Friday on a week when a million things are rolling around my mind felt like a gift straight from God. It’s so hard to see the beautiful, tiny gifts He gives us when we’re completely focused on the big picture and our endless to-do lists. This message was the reset my own soul needed. I hope it will be the same for you…
If these Faithful Friday newsletters are blessing your heart, hit that like button. It helps me know you are out there reading. Thank you friends!
Country Psalm: by Brandon Lake
Little feet patter the hardwoods like drums
My boys making noise at the top of their lungs
Beautiful chaos shatters the calm
But, Oh, Thank God for this Country Psalm
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord
I’ve got so much to be thankful for…
I was sitting on our back porch last Sunday evening with my Kindle in hand when I heard a belly laugh. Our two boys, still in their pajamas, were wrestling with a ball in the backyard, both grinning from ear to ear. I took a long, deep breath and looked around. Our dog was curled up asleep on her bed, Rob was snoozing in the chair beside me, an NFL game hummed quietly on the TV, and a soft breeze ruffled my hair.
In this incredibly ordinary moment, tears stung my eyes.
These past few weeks, okay, maybe even years, have felt heavy. But in that moment, I let myself soak in the sacred goodness of a Sunday evening at home. This song captures that feeling perfectly and reminds me to praise God for the little, wonderful, totally ordinary gifts He gives us every single day. If you have a chance, look it up and let it wash over you… It might just refresh your outlook this weekend as well.
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
(Psalm 118:24)
You have most likely heard this verse. You may have even recited it in church. But we shouldn’t overlook what it points out.
That truth came alive for me sitting on our back porch. That moment was this verse in living color: a gift that was not loud or showy, but a powerful glimpse of the blessings surrounding us in the most ordinary moments.
It got me thinking: How many of these gifts do I miss because I'm looking for a different, more spectacular kind?
The answer might be found in the very book this verse comes from. The song above is called "Country Psalm," a tribute to the book of Psalms, which is filled with praise for the things God has done and will do. In Psalms, you’ll find songs painting pictures of the overwhelming work God can do, like when He brought Israel out of Egypt and parted the Red Sea (Psalm 77:16-20). But you’ll also find praise for the God who gives rest beside still waters (Psalm 23:2), the God who provides bread and wine to strengthen and gladden our hearts (Psalm 104:15), and the God who keeps track of every tear we cry (Psalm 56:8).
This is the beautiful, full picture of God's character. Rest assured, He is moving mountains for you. He is also just as near in the small, lovely moments that surround us; the sound of my boys laughing, the peace of a quiet porch, the comfort of a familiar song. For me, this verse is an invitation to pause and have a heart open enough to notice the sacred tucked into the ordinary.
Sunday evening, this truth moved from my head down into my heart. When we are constantly preoccupied with the big things happening in our lives (lingering health anxieties, the weight of bad news, big decisions that loom over us, or the exhausting effort to keep everyone happy and safe), we forget that He isn’t just found in the parting of seas, the calming of storms, and the healing of the blind. Yes, He is the God of miracles, but He’s also the God who meets us in the middle of our everyday.
God's love isn’t just expressed in the glory of the mountains or the calming of the sea with one word. His love is also expressed in the way our child reaches for our hand, or our spouse kisses us on the cheek when he comes home for the day. If we only watch for the grand gestures, we'll miss the quiet, constant ways He is loving us.
He crafted this day, with all its imperfections, and tucked joy into its corners for us to discover. Our job isn't to force a perfect one, but to uncover the grace He's already hidden in it.
If I struggle to see God's hand in the small things, I know my kids probably do, too. So, engaging my kids in conversations about the small things we see feels just as important as discussing the big.
We are quick to point out the big: “Wow, you scored two goals in your game!”
But how lovely would it be if we started to point out the small: “I saw that big smile it put on your face to play soccer with your friends! What a gift it is from God to be out on that field!”
Some Other Examples:
The Big: "You got an A on your project! That's amazing!"
The Small: "I loved watching you get so excited about learning those fun facts about volcanoes. Wasn't it cool how God gave you a curious mind that enjoys discovering new things?
The Big: “We get to go on vacation to the beach next week!”
The Small: “I am most excited about seeing the little crabs at night and looking for sharks’ teeth with you. Can you believe God created these tiny things for us to discover?”
So that’s the fun little game I am trying to weave into our days: looking inside the big moments and finding all the small ways God is loving us right there. It doesn’t take any extra time or fancy words. It just takes a willing heart to notice, and my hope is we can cultivate this habit together as a family!
And can I tell you a secret? The more I look for His small gifts, the more I find them. They were there all along. He’s just been waiting for us to see them.
I pulled this prayer from my prayer book, Full. It felt like the perfect way to praise Him for all of the wonderful things His hands touch daily! I hope you enjoy!
Lord,
Everything I hear, Your hands have made. The sound of a baby’s sleepy breathing, the rain on the roof, birds chirping, and bees buzzing.
Everything I feel, Your hands have made. The wind blowing against my skin, the solid earth beneath me, and the warmth of the sun on my face.
Everything I see, Your hands have made. The indifferent steady rocks and the ever-swaying leaves. The magnificence of the mountainside and the meekness of my son curled up beside me.
Everything I taste, Your hands have made. The cool water that I let quench my thirst, the bitterness of coffee beans, and the sweetness of cocoa.
Everything I smell, Your hands have made. The earthy moss, the tea olive in the breeze, and the mellowness of the fresh air.
Each of these senses, Your goodness fills.
I am in awe. I color on paper, and You color the earth. I cook meals, but You created the fish, the chickens, and the earth we farm. I breathe, but you created the lungs in my chest and the air filling them.
Even my sixth sense, the one that holds steady in my soul, You fill with your goodness.
When I feel frantic in life, help me come back to this place of quiet. A place of being mindful of each of my senses and how You touch each one.
Amen
One Final thought:
I wanted to share every single line from the song, Country Psalm, above because that’s how lovely it is. I knew not many of you had the time or the bandwidth to read an entire song, but it’s on my heart to share this one last line as you head into your weekend:
“I’ve got breath in this body and hope in my scars. If I counted my blessings, they’d rival the stars.”
Count your blessings, friends… I have a feeling that if you started, yours would rival the stars as well.
Because Motherhood is hard. But you? You’re held.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
{Mathew 5:7}