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I’m a fan of getting up before sunrise to go for a nice run. 5am alarm goes off, I slip out of bed, put on my running shoes, headlamp and head out the door. I like the stillness of the world that comes in the early morning. There aren’t cars pushing you off the road, pedestrians crowding the sidewalk and the sun isn’t drying you up. And, now that Spring is approaching I’ve enjoyed not having to put on layers, just put on my shoes, shorts and shirt and I go. There is a lot you see during those hours that one might miss in the daylight.
The other morning as I was running I noticed a little flickering in front of my headlamp. At first I thought it was a morning drizzle; however, I began to see that it was pollen falling from the trees. It was beautiful and mystical and then I began to think about the many ways pollen helps and hurts us. Without pollen we wouldn’t have the beautiful blossoms and new life of Spring; however, we would be relieved of the allergies, and mucus that it will bring. I’ve always noticed the impact that pollen has in this world, but to witness it falling and moving around me was something else. Pollen can be something so small and unnoticed despite having a huge impact in our day to day lives.
In youth ministry there is a lot that surrounds us that goes unnoticed. Some of it can be bad and slowly poisons us, while some of it is good, and if embraced will strengthen us. But, how is it that we find ourselves, missing out on those small things? How do we overlook relationships, events and habits that have true significance in our lives? It’s because:
So how do we correct this?
To become anything but ordinary we need to discover the extraordinary in what we do. In the end it’s about slowing down and asking God to reveal to us His grace, love and joy. Unfortunately, we get so caught up in the mundane that we miss out on what can truly push us to success or throw us to our doom. To be truly extraordinary, you need to look beyond the ordinary.
How are you discovering the extraordinary in your ministry?