So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. Hebrews 4:9
Nothing special. Is that how you’d describe yourself?
Who doesn’t cringe a bit at the thought of just being ordinary. We feel that to be loved, fulfilled, or successful, we need to be a bit better than ordinary! A famous sociologist says that “Narcissism is a shame-based fear of being ordinary” [1]. You and I may not be narcissists, but we’ve sometimes longed to be extraordinary. Isn’t that what social media’s all about?
When life revolves around proving our own significance, we wear ourselves out. God says that there is no invisible race we need to be running. We don’t need to outshine others. He invites us to meet Him just as we are, right where we are. In fact, the Bible book of Hebrews reminds us, “there is a special rest … waiting for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9).
Jesus invites us to enter that rest. He is the only one who can free us from the need to prove ourselves because He’s already made us valuable by what He did for us. In taking the penalty of our sin and restoring us to relationship with Him, Jesus frees us. We don’t need to chase greatness but can live our ordinary lives asking Him to make us exactly what He thinks best.
God’s rest can be found today, right in the middle of whatever it is you’re doing. Our ordinary days, with their simple routines and quiet moments, are holy ground for God to work in our lives. Scripture assures us that when God has begun to work in our lives, “… [he will] continue [that good] work until it is finally finished” (Philippians 1:6b). When we let Him, God does the work of making our ordinary lives actually extraordinary.
