Why Your Faithfulness in the Mundane Matters More than You Know: Virtual Jesus Challenge
Key Takeaways:
- We long to do great things for God, but our faithfulness in the quiet moments of life is just as valuable.
- Just like a collection of beautiful, individual leaves on a tree, God works powerfully through small, faithful choices made without an audience.
- Prominent Biblical figures like Moses, David, and Joseph experienced ordinary and hidden lives before the stories we know them for.
- We can’t rely on our own willpower to be faithful; we need God’s strength to obey Him in ordinary life.
- The virtual Jesus challenge helps you keep God at the forefront as you walk through the mundane and ordinary moments of life.
As we head into our final stretch of the year, I’m getting awfully tired. Anyone else? 🙋
The regular, daily tasks on my plate now seem so much heavier and require twice as much effort as they did back in sunshiny summer. You know the ones…
🥱 Getting up at the same time, but now in the dark.
📚 Taking kids through the homeschooling routine everyone’s tired of.
🫧 Washing the same dishes day after day.
📖 Making time to read God’s Word.
💼 Sitting through eight hours at a job you may or may not like.
🤝 Showing up to ministry commitments you were excited about three months ago.
🍕 Figuring out what’s for dinner. Again. And Again.
And if you’re doing the virtual Jesus challenge right now, maybe your daily Bible reading and mile walk/run feel a little repetitive. The excitement’s worn off, and all that’s left is to just do the thing. 😮💨
None of these daily tasks are bad; they are blessings and things we can thank God for! But my goodness, they can feel monotonous. Tedious. Hidden. Uncelebrated.
The reality is, most of adult life is routines we do over and over.
And sometimes I struggle to see the point.
Do the Mundane Things in Your Life Actually Matter?
Here’s where I can get stuck (and I suspect I’m not the only one):
👉 We WANT to do important things for God! Make a difference for His Kingdom!
We read about Moses leading God’s people through the Red Sea, David taking down Goliath, and Joseph saving nations from starvation. We long to do something that makes a difference like that, too! 💪
But panning back to reality… most days I’m not leading anyone out of Egypt or slinging rocks at giants. I’m making dinner, answering emails, cleaning up the same mess that keeps reappearing, and trying to find the purpose in all these little things.
Do these daily tasks actually matter to God?
Is there any way to do them without just going through the motions and gritting your teeth until something more exciting comes along?
Let’s talk about this. 👇
First, Lift Your Eyes
Lately on my daily walks, I’ve watched the trees change color. 🍁There’s one maple in particular that takes my breath away. It turns a fiery, vibrant red that shocks me awake on those groggy mornings.
Every time I pass it, I slow down to stare and marvel. It’s stunning, and I see God’s glory through it. It leads me to worship Him.
One morning I tiptoed onto the lawn and snatched a bright leaf from the ground. I hung it on my fridge, hoping to keep a piece of that beauty. But honestly, that little leaf never once caught my eye. Eventually it fell off, and I didn’t even notice. 🤷
But every morning, I still stopped to admire the tree.
The majesty of that tree isn't found in one small leaf, even the brightest one. Its beauty comes from thousands of them – small, individual, insignificant on their own, gathered into a breathtaking display of God’s glory. ✨
👉 Could this be what we’re missing as we trudge through monotonous moments of life?
Your Daily Choices Add Up Into a Big Statement
We crane our necks looking for a big experience where we can do something great for God. But most days we’re switching laundry and sitting in traffic, trying to stay patient with the people who test us the most.
But the fruit of life with God is formed like that maple, through thousands of small, faithful choices that you sometimes just glaze over.
👆One patient response to a child.
👆One morning opening your Bible when it’s the last thing you want to do.
👆One ordinary walk to take care of yourself.
👆One act of service, totally unseen by anyone but God.
As we choose to be faithful with one “small” step of obedience, over time, they culminate in a stunning display of fruit that points directly to the Lord. But we can’t always look back to a big moment and say, “THIS is where I changed.”
It’s the many small, private, uncelebrated steps of faithfulness God uses to completely transform us and accomplish God’s Kingdom work in and through us.
And at the end of the day, people can look at the collection of our small, daily choices and say, “Wow. This shows me more of God. Praise God!” 🙌
So next time you get discouraged that God isn’t using you for big Kingdom work, remember that He’s doing it NOW. Be faithful with the moment right in front of you. And HE will use your life to point people to Himself, whether you know it or not.
Jesus Was No Stranger to the Mundane
Oswald Chambers, author of the popular devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, doesn’t mince words:
“Drudgery is one of the finest tests to determine the genuineness of our character. Drudgery is work that is far removed from anything we think of as ideal work. It is utterly hard, menial, tiresome, and dirty work. And when we experience it, our spirituality is instantly tested, and we will know whether or not we are spiritually genuine. Read John 13. In this chapter, we see the Incarnate God performing the greatest example of drudgery—washing fishermen’s feet. He then says to them, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.””
Let that sink in for a second.
Jesus, the Son of God, the King of Heaven and earth, did not consider Himself too important for humble, unglamorous service. He embraced the lowest position in the room… as an act of worship to the Father. That’s pretty mind-boggling.
🤔 What makes us think we’re above the mundane?
Jesus was faithful to follow through on small, seemingly insignificant tasks that ARE THE VERY BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE KINGDOM. 🧱
It’s funny, we’re so eager to go do something for the Kingdom, yet it’s right in front of us, on dirty feet. 🤯
Biblical Heroes Lived Obscure Lives, Too
Remember those three giants of the faith we talked about earlier? Moses, David, and Joseph?
We remember them for the extraordinary things they did. But BEFORE the Red Sea parted, BEFORE Goliath tipped over, BEFORE Joseph rose to power, their lives looked shockingly simple and mundane. 😯
Moses
Known as the man who led the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt and across the Red Sea; friend of God.
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He was forced to flee his home and settle in a foreign land, far from the people he was most passionate about (Exodus 2:11-22) It must have felt like God betrayed him.
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He spent 40 years tending sheep in the wilderness of Midian before God spoke to him through the burning bush. (Exodus 3:1, Acts 7:30) Talk about boring…!
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He started a family, held a common job, and lived a life of obscurity all those years. I’m sure he was still passionate about the Hebrews, but faithful where God placed him. (Exodus 2:21-22)
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He had no guarantee that this wouldn’t be the rest of his story, but he followed the Lord regardless.
David
Known as the king of Israel, a fierce warrior, and a man after God’s own heart.
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His three oldest brothers went to war, and he stayed behind to tend his father’s sheep. (1 Samuel 17:12-15) Not even his own sheep! A totally overlooked, hidden life.
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When Samuel came to anoint Israel’s next king, David wasn’t called in from the fields to be included at first. (1 Samuel 16:10-13) Excluded.
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Even after being anointed, David spent years waiting, serving Saul, and running for his life. (1 Samuel 16:13; 1 Samuel 18-24; 2 Samuel 5:1-5)
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He spent many years cultivating a relationship with God in the privacy of the fields, not knowing what his next chapter would be.
Joseph
Known as the man God raised up to save the nations from famine.
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His brothers unjustly sold him into slavery, and he spent 13 years in slavery and prison. (Genesis 37:23-28; 39:1-6) Probably felt like another betrayal from God.
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He was completely alone in his faith, without godly community, misunderstood and misrepresented. (Genesis 39:19-23; 40:9-23; 41:1)
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Even in prison, he faithfully walked with God, nurturing a fruitful relationship with Him in the most hidden, purposeless situation. 🤯 (Genesis 39:21-23; Genesis 40:8)
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He had NO promise he would ever be freed from prison or treated justly. Nevertheless, he still walked faithfully with God in the circumstances set before him.
Wow.
Just sit with these stories for a moment.
Years of waiting with no end in sight, blocked from his greatest passion.
Years of uncelebrated, tedious tasks with sheep.
Years of sitting in a prison cell for doing nothing wrong.
👉 Dreadfully mundane and invisible, forgotten by all.
Probably NOT the extraordinary life they imagined for themselves.
There Are No Throwaway Chapters
That’s the truth I pray sinks into your heart. 👆
God led those Bible heroes to simple, mundane, obscure lives before they were ready to step into more public service. If they had skipped over or rushed through any of those years of developing quiet, deep intimacy with God, I do not believe they would have the strength of communion with God required for the next assignments He gave them.
We know the rest of their stories, but they DID NOT KNOW that was coming down the road!
👉 They continued walking closely with God without ANY knowledge that He might use it.
They learned to thrive with God in the monotonous, cultivating a rich inner life with Him that He later used to change history. 🌱
We can be tempted to treat our own days as something to just get through before the REAL work begins. But these men show us there is NO place too low or too hidden where we cannot faithfully walk with God in the “small” things.
Just like the maple tree, the fruit we so admire forms through countless moments we tend to overlook. 🍁
You Can’t Conjure Up Your Own Faith
I want to encourage you with a final quote from Oswald Chambers:
“The things Jesus did were the most menial of everyday tasks, and this is an indication that it takes all of God’s power in me to accomplish even the most common tasks in His way. Can I use a towel as He did? Towels, dishes, sandals, and all the other ordinary things in our lives reveal what we are made of more quickly than anything else. It takes God Almighty Incarnate in us to do the most menial duty as it ought to be done.”
Notice what Chambers says: it takes ALL of God’s power to do even the most ordinary tasks His way.
This is NOT a challenge to pull yourself together, muster up more discipline, and just try harder. 🙅 Absolutely not.
We cannot do it.
We cannot manufacture godly faithfulness through sheer willpower.
We depend fully and totally on God to have any shred of faith.
So instead of trying harder in your own strength, run to Him and ask Him to help you take the next step, but with Him.
What Are the Dirty Feet Right in Front of You?
Looking down the barrel of tomorrow, you already see the tasks lining up. The same responsibilities, routines, dishes, deadlines, schoolwork, and commitments that show up like clockwork. 🥵
But before you tackle that next task, I want to encourage you to run to Jesus. Bring Him your weariness and frustration. Ask Him to give you the faith and courage to continue with these tasks as an act of worship. Even if it doesn’t feel any better. Ask Him to help you surrender your will and control over your own life.
💌 That could mean responding to your spouse with patience instead of irritation.
🧎 Or opening your Bible when you’d rather watch a show.
📝 Or doing your work with integrity when nobody’s watching.
👟 Or lacing up your shoes for another walk even though the excitement’s long gone.
1 Corinthians 1:27 says, “But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong.”
God doesn’t call you to be an impressive, motivated task-completing machine. 🤖 He just wants you to walk WITH Him through the ordinary, boring moments of life.
Take Your Next Step With the Virtual Jesus Challenge
Friend, today you probably aren’t leading a nation out of slavery or slaying giants (but what do I know, maybe you are! 😅) More likely, you’re folding mountains of laundry or sitting through long meetings that may drain the life out of you.
As you tackle those same responsibilities year after year, you long to keep growing closer to Jesus! You want His Word to shape your heart and your everyday choices. You want to feel close to Him and hear His voice.
But over time, those great intentions slip away. We get caught up in the demands around us, and before we know it, we’re just going through the motions. 😞
I struggle with the exact same thing, and that’s why I created the virtual Jesus challenge!
It’s a practical routine for busy people who want to keep Jesus the center of their lives and care for their body, mind, and spirit. You’ll join a wonderful community of people walking the same road, cheering you on and holding you accountable along the way. 🫂
The goal is NOT to add another thing to your to-do list or try to make you more spiritually productive. The goal is to help you keep turning your attention to Jesus, even when life feels boring and ordinary and hidden.
So if you’re ready to stop waiting for a bigger moment and experience Jesus to the full RIGHT NOW, join the Jesus virtual challenge. Let’s faithfully keep walking with Jesus through the life He’s given us today. 🫶