What if I told you that God created you for a specific purpose for which He would achieve something extraordinary in your life and that your achieving that extraordinary would be as easy as learning to walk?
Walking was one of the hardest things a toddler has to do until it is not. When they start they stumble quite often, some for a long period of time until, at last they master it. But what is amazing is that, even in its simplicity, walking became a skill that would literally change their lives. Not only did it become the way they could journey into fun, creativity and service, but it also become the means by which they could grow into their extraordinary. By extraordinary I mean a life that has transformative impact in the lives of people around them and, perhaps, even the world! Extraordinary does not have to be deemed epic, it just needs to be your life and your story purposely lived and poured out for your created purpose; every hurt, pain, joy and victory disappointment eventually being seen as the necessary ingredients to shape your greatness. The Lord has created you for the extraordinary, to be an extraordinaire, one who is outstanding and remarkable in their life. And all of this can be achieved just like walking. Let me give you this principle:
The extraordinary is achieved only when we are consistent in the ordinary.
Toddlers stumbled until they, by consistency, learned the skill of putting one foot in front of the other and maintaining their balance. They did the ordinary (taking steps) until they achieved the extraordinary (walking). To be extraordinary, to live out God's purpose for our lives, is really that simple. I am not saying it is easy but I am saying it is simple. Something can be difficult and easy at the same time. Playing golf is easy and it is difficult. What God has called us to achieve in our lives comes down to whether or not we will do the simple things first and consistently. Whatever He has called us to (our extraordinary) there are some steps we have to take (the ordinaries) and the hard fact is that we will never achieve this extraordinary without consistency in the ordinary. People do not lose weight overnight. They lose weight (extraordinary) by making better choices consistently (the ordinary). To eat in unhealthy ways and, at the same time, expecting the scale to go down does not match.
The way to do this, to achieve your extraordinary, is to work backwards. In other words, look at the extraordinary for which the Lord has called you and then determine what acts, behaviors, habits, disciplines, relationships, etc., are required to achieve that extraordinary. The reason this is the first step is because actions that are inconsistent with the extraordinary, while they all may be good, honorable, noble and just, will not move you to your extraordinary. A baby does not learn how to walk by learning to touch their nose, throw a ball or how to speak. All of those are incredible discoveries but neither of them are the ordinaries that lead to the extraordinary of walking. They have to learn the skills of balance and placing one foot in front of the other to be able to reach their goal of walking
The truth is all of us are called by God with a purpose. Some may not know what their purpose is and for them I would say be consistent in the following: time in the Word, prayer and fellowship with other believers. For those of us who know or even have an idea we are not achieving it, not because we are incapable or because there are challenges as well as set backs but because we are consistent in ordinary things that will never lead to the extraordinary. We may be doing and accomplishing many a good thing in the world and in lives, all of which are useful, but being useful is neither the goal nor satisfying. God made you for something extraordinary and until you are walking in that, while your life may be good, peaceful and quiet you will be internally agitated and constantly groping for contentment. You must do the things which produce your extraordinary because your extraordinary is who you were made to be. It is your authentic self and everything else will feel "strange."
Let me end with another analogy from toddlers learning to walk. Have you ever seen a big baby in a stroller? Looks strange right? Because it is! It is not normal. The baby is able to walk but won't and, what is worse, the one who could make them walk is strolling them and carrying them. Some people are not achieving their extraordinary because they are content with being carried by someone else. We need people in our life to help us on to our extraordinary but we do not need people who tolerate our unwillingness to do what we are capable of doing.
Don't be that toddler
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