I’ve been thinking a lot about ordinary life this last week (which is obviously on brand 😆). Amidst the transition to a new city, I find myself without a formal job and spending much more time at home. It feels odd sometimes, other times it feels nice, and on weeks like last week it felt a little bit sad to be honest. I like to feel productive, and formal income-producing work like managing a coffee shop feels like I’m accomplishing something (and I am), but being at home, sitting around with my kids, making food multiple times a day, or cleaning in an endless cycle often doesn’t feel productive. “But I’m not DOING anything,” I think.
Amidst this internal struggle, I recalled a book I had started with a book club but put down since I moved. I was reminded that God meets us in the everyday moments of life — the sticky kid fingers, the drive to and from school, the laundry, the dishes, all of it. Not just income-producing work but all of it. Tish Harrison Warren says in Liturgy of the Ordinary,
The kind of spiritual life and disciplines needed to sustain the Christian life are quiet, repetitive, and ordinary… it’s in the dailiness of the Christian faith—the making the bed, the doing the dishes, the praying for our enemies, the reading the Bible, the quiet, the small—that God’s transformation takes root and grows.
She goes on to say that God meets us where we are and uses us wherever we are. I’m being transformed in this moment, this context, this work/life situation—God knows it and uses it. He’s at work whether I’m at home or in the office, whether I work full time or pick up side jobs or stay at home.
It comforts me to know that I am not more or less worthy to Him, more or less useful to Him, more or less productive right where I’m at.
I also found encouragement in this post from Go and Tell Gals — that striving is not the goal, connection with God is. When life gets tough, instead of working harder, I’m called to worship Him.
I reflect on this ordinariness more here. I hope that if you also feel this way at times, you find encouragement and hope and joy and beauty in your everyday ordinary life.
Life Last Week:
what I read last week: picked up Fourth Wing from my local library and I’m surprised I’m enjoying it! I’ve convinced myself that I don’t love fantasy, but I’m proved wrong time and again. I was talking to a friend about how I’m always behind the hype (re: my sourdough obsession POST-pandemic), and I think this exemplifies that once again. The hype for this book has died down, so here I am reading it. I’m also picking up Liturgy of the Ordinary and Every Season Sacred throughout the week.
what I ate last week: homemade bagels with farmer’s market tomatoes, the easiest taco salad (I throw together microwaved brown rice, lettuce, black beans, tomatoes, onion, salsa ranch and tortilla chips for a deliciously easy 15 minute meal), cardamom syrup for my matcha, giant chocolate chip cookies for two, a variation on this toast I posted (I subbed plain greek yogurt for feta and dipped with bread instead of serving it on bread), these homemade goldfish crackers that I made for my daughter to take to school and she immediately rejected but my instagram friends were obsessed with (find the goldfish cutters here), and these sourdough discard banana muffins that this banana-baked-good-averse gal actually enjoys (we add blueberries).
what I’m (intentionally) shopping for: I’ve tried to eliminate impulse buying as much as possible and often take quite a bit of time considering my purchases. I also try to shop ethically/sustainably when possible, but allow myself grace when sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Here’s some thing’s I’ve recently bought or am eyeing for myself, the kids, and our home:
for me: I’m in a phase where jeans are hard. I’m loving wide leg styles and might go back to these pair I had a while ago or try these. I just snagged these from target and I’m obsessed!
for the kids: searching for age approproate backpacks for a kindergartener is also hard (why are they all so big??). First I found this one secondhand, but we need a little more room, so I might grab these while they’re on sale for Labor Day.
for the home: the kids have been stealing our towels for awhile, so we grabbed them their own and now we can use our favorite towels in peace. I love how soft these are!
ICYMI on Intentionally Ordinary last week: I wrote up a big blog post about starting and leading a book club! It’s packed with helpful advice for gathering and hosting friends, keeping conversation flowing, and includes 40+ ideas for books to read with your book club. Book lovers, this post is for you! I also posted this reel to Instagram about ordinary life as mentioned above ♥️
Further Resources
If you desire extended time with God, grab the Half-Day Spiritual Retreat Guide for meditation, silence and solitude, and breath prayer prompts.
If you desire to build habits for a healthy body, grab the Habit Formation Guide to build five habits, with a habit trackers, reflection pages, and tips for getting started.
Thank you for being here friends! If you ever have any questions, thoughts, or suggestions, please reply to this email or send me a message!
Good thinking. The job you have now is the most important in the world. Maybe that’s what the Lord is telling you. Love you precious………