Abundant Life in the "Mundane"

In sixteen days, I will be in Poland. But currently, I am at home. After the end of a long semester and a week at a conference on holiness, two weeks remain until I will be on my first international adventure with the Lord.

At first, these two weeks sounded daunting. In previous posts, I've shared about my struggles with busyness and a general restlessness. That being said, being home for extended periods of time can sometimes be a struggle. 

I enjoy being home and being able to spend time with my family, but my flesh very much feels restless for an adventure or busyness. I have a hard time being okay with periods of rest as well as not being surrounded by a lot of people. 

But the Lord has given me two weeks of rest to prepare for another season of busyness.

So I have two weeks. But what do I do with two weeks? I can spend my two weeks helping my mom around the house, hanging out with friends from home, spending ample time in prayer, reading scripture, reading fiction, getting extra sleep, preparing for Poland... there are so many options.

I can finally do things that I wouldn't normally get to do due to a busy schedule, yet there is this nagging feeling of discontent that keeps creeping up despite all of these awesome opportunities.

Why? Because everything feels mundane.

Mundane (adjective): 
1. Dull and ordinary
2. Relating to ordinary life on earth rather than to spiritual things

When I'm home for extended periods of time, it can feel like I'm a rock, stuck at the side of a stream. It can feel like life really isn't happening. It can feel like life is moving on without me. It can feel like I'm not being productive.  

But these are all lies. 

I think that American culture tries to feed us these lies: that the good life is one that is filled with exciting opportunities and never-ending adventures. That the good life is a busy life, with non-stop action. But those are all lies.

If there's one thing that the Lord has taught me from my time at home, it's that abundant life can be found in the everyday and ordinary. 

You can have abundant life in any circumstance: whether you're living an exciting and adventurous life or a quiet life filled with daily routines.

And this abundant and satisfying life doesn't come from your circumstances. It comes from one person: Jesus Christ.

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
John 10:10

"Jesus said to them, 'I am the Bread of Life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.' "
John 6:35

I think it's very easy for us to be dissatisfied with our lives. When we're busy, we want rest. When we have rest, we want busyness. We are always craving, always desiring, always wanting more, and always discontent. 

This life and this world will never satisfy us, but that's because we're not made for this world. We're made for heaven, and one day we will have eternity if and only if we put our faith in Jesus Christ and draw our true satisfaction and joy from Him, the Bread of Life. 

He wants to give us abundant life, and life to the full. But only He can give this to us, and it's not dependent on our circumstances.  

A few days ago, I thought that I would be immensely bored while I was at home. I thought I would be discontent for these two weeks, because I wouldn't have much to do or enjoy. But the Lord showed me differently. He showed me that there is a lot to enjoy in the mundane and the everyday, and that He wants to give me abundant life. No matter how "exciting" my life appears to be, truly abundant and joyful living only comes from Jesus, who is the Bread of Life.

There will be days when I'm bored. There will be days when I'm restless. There will also be days that are so packed with things to do that I don't know what to do with myself.

But Jesus is the one who makes everyday a great day for me, despite the circumstances of that day.

So if you might be thinking, "That's great, Madi, that Jesus is the source of your joy despite your circumstances, but how do I practically make Jesus the source of my joy?" 

To that, all I can say is read God's Word, specifically the Gospel of John. I mean, I just gave you two golden verses from that book! The person of Jesus is revealed on every page of the Bible, and it's the only book that I go to when I need to be reminded of the truth, that Jesus is the only thing that satisfies.  

So check out John, and I hope that like me, you're encouraged. I hope that you find abundant life during seasons of rest and the "mundane" also. Because even on the most eventless day, Jesus makes it a great day!

---

Below are some photos of my dog-days (pun intended) or "mundane" days. I took these photos to remind myself that each day is a day that the Lord has made, no matter how ordinary the day, and that I can rejoice because Jesus has blessed me with an abundant life.

My puppy Spice decided to join me while spending time in God's Word.

Spice has been my little shadow for the past few days and decided to help me put away laundry.

During a walk through the woods with a dear friend, we visited the Lake Redman sign, and we took pictures in front of it.

Visited a new church that a friend from school attends. This church building use to be a K-Mart. How cool is that???

Whoever decided that dark chocolate, pretzels, and salt go together... pure genius!!

Sleepy puppy...


With Much Love, 
Madi