Turning the ordinary into the extraordinary

How many are bored with their life? Do we want a better house or, particularly, a different job, one that we look forward to each day rather than dread? Think we'd be happier if we lived within another environment, or maybe a change in our church or religion is what we need.

Almost everyone occasionally experiences such feelings. Life becomes too ordinary. We want more excitement. We want to go somewhere, or attain something that's extraordinary.

If you're Christian, you know that simply being alive and healthy can be elevated from the status of ordinary to extraordinary. If you've spent time with those who are ill, incapacitated, or have lost loved ones, you will notice your blessing.

What's wrong with being ordinary, having an ordinary house or an ordinary job? By ordinary, I mean something that you feel is often less than it should be. There's no pizazz or glamour to it. Sometimes we think we're not deserving of accolades from others. We feel less than prideful concerning various areas of our lives. This perception can lead to states of discouragement and despair.

What do we do when we find ourselves in a circumstance where we see no daylight in our darkness? Do we give up and lose what we've tried so hard to accomplish? Do we say, "I can't get through this? This is miserable," refusing to try to turn a bad situation into a good one? There are many examples of people who have done just that. They have decided to persevere and see the challenge through to its end. Writer\ Artist, Jenna Choi, says in her article, "100 Days of Finding the Extraordinary in the ordinary," says "Finding the extraordinary in the ordinary has changed my life." Jenna lost her mother, unexpectedly, to a cancer that took her long before it was predicted. Jenna was very close to her mom, and her death found Jenna heartbroken. She wondered if she could go on. She knew she must -- so Jenna kept on. She decided to begin finding something extraordinary within each day. Whether it was sharing ice-cream in the park, she declared the event to be something extraordinary, and felt uplifted. Jenna traveled on her journey of noticing the extraordinary things in her life for 100 days. Now she continues the practice. Choi says, "Although the sun sets, it arises again each new day. That is extraordinary."

If you're stuck in a job where it's impossible to leave, there are ways to find extraordinary benefits from the experience. "The extraordinary can be found. It is within you and around you" (Choi). It's a way to appreciate life. The lessons we can learn are invaluable.

Author and performance coach, Jairek Robbins, tackled a grueling summer job during his college years. The job required that he spend long hours getting to and from work with a van of workers. He was picked up by 6 a.m. sharp, and worked performing hard labor in a lumber yard. He stacked lumber for different purposes all day until 5 p.m. Robbins hated the job.

He questioned why he had even taken the job. It was a waste of time. Robbins knew, with this attitude he would never be able to finish the three month challenge. He decided to find ways to like the work. He thought of various ways to lift the lumber to gain physical strength. Then he purchased audios to which he could listen.

He learned how to take a boring job he hated, into a good thing. He became physically and mentally stronger. By shifting his mindset, Robbins learned to love the job, thinking each day of how he could find another interesting activity within the job.

Regardless of what we may think, Romans 8:28 reminds us that "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."