Have you ever wondered if you are living your best life?

Many of us discount who we are, what we’ve accomplished, what we have survived and lived though, only to call ourselves “ordinary.”  When we’re starting out, we think we are supposed take on the world.  We intend to make our mark.  We have high hopes and big expectations.

And then, real life comes and sits at our kitchen tables.  Happily, we swap our dreams for Pampers and crayons and book bags and Sunday dinners and Family Fun nights… Life is hectic, and harrowing, and wonderful. 

Many times, I remember thinking that the world had nothing that I wanted more than what I had when my kids were little, and Mac and Cheese was gourmet. 

People dream of doing extraordinary things.  We see ourselves accomplishing goals. We imagine ourselves traveling, earning awards, entertaining in our sprawling home in the hills…  All of that falls away, when we understand that our truest purpose doesn’t come with any of this. 

Sure, it would be great to win the Pulitzer.  But you taught your kids to read, and the PTA thinks you write a pretty good news letter.  Your Tuesday night casserole got a thumbs-up by your family, and your neighbor wants your chili recipe. That’s not too shabby.

When the lights dim just a little, when our roles change, when relationships and circumstances morph in ways we cannot anticipate, why do we look back and question if we accomplished anything worth while?

It’s times like these, when people do crazy things.  They fly in directions hither and yon, thinking they somehow missed the boat called Extraordinary — the one with all the fun-filled adventures — and they go out in search of it.  They deserve it!   

“There’s a sucker born every minute,” that wise man, PT Barnum, once said. 

I am writing this from the Shores of Ordinary.  I have found that the people I admire most, live here too.  Oh, how I wish I could shout it from the roof tops, so that everyone would know this truth —  Our greatest accomplishments are in the simple things we do with extraordinary consistency.

Be on-time.  Speak honestly. Walk your talk.  Mean what you say, and say what you mean. Keep your promises. Don’t walk away when others need you.  Honor God, your Country, and your commitments.  Forgive. Live within your means. Be faithful.  Know that everything you do has a consequence.  Be grateful. Pray. Don’t compromise your principles, your family, or your faith. Be a blessing to others…

Mother Teresa said, “Not all of us can do great things.  But we can do small things with great love.”  

I could be wrong about this, but I think that extraordinary lives are those lived for others, not yourself.  

When God wants to tell us something, it doesn’t come in a thunder clap or a golden banner dropped from the sky.  He tells us in a whisper to be still.  To love each other. To do your best.  To trust Him.  

He does extraordinary things in the ordinary.  In babies, that cuddle after their bath.  In moments when you really need the truth, and someone cares enough to tell it to you.  In standing and fighting for your family, in the midst of difficult times.  In sitting bedside when someone you love is sick.  In being a friend, even when it’s going to cost you something…  He’s in all of this. 

When God wanted to show His love, He sent His son to walk among us so that we could learn to be more like Him.  Simple. Extraordinarily ordinary. 

He’s still here, inside of you and me.  

Do not wonder what value you are to God or others.  If your heart is open, if you’ve loved without conditions, if you’ve lived in faith and try to follow His ways, then you have accomplished so much more than you can ever know.

And if you haven’t, if you’ve made some wrong turns or bad decisions, it’s never too late to start again.

Extraordinary is cloaked in the ordinary, so that we will understand that it is never out there somewhere.  God’s best for us, is in how we love each other, right here and right now.   

Stay the course. Walk by faith. Love well. 

You are Extraordinarily Ordinary. 

And that makes all the difference. 

There is someone out there that needs to hear this… pass it on.