I took about 20 pictures of the gorgeous sunrise on my drive to work the other morning. Out of all of them, I got only this one that did the sky anywhere close to justice. As I was driving, snapping phone pics out the window going 60 mph, I found myself repeating, “His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.” Then I started singing “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” Then I wondered who had written those words and why? Then I Googled that (when I parked at the hospital.) Then I read a sentence that jumped out at me and I’ve been mulling over it ever since. The sentence? Well, I’ll get to that… but first….
I am 100% aware that just being a United States citizen gives me way more opportunities than most people on this planet. And I am 100% grateful I was raised in an intact, loving home, had education opportunities that took me to a career degree, and that degree has partly allowed us to raise a happy family of our own! I get it! I am so grateful! But…I have sometimes felt my life is boring. Monotonous. Unexciting. Oh, I know we usually have a vacay at least once a year. But it’s not as much as some lucky people! And I’m glad I’m not often in the center of drama and fuss, but wow! Sometimes I feel like we live under a rock. Sometimes it seems I go months and months of going to work early, working 12 hours in a hospital hallway, getting home at 8 PM and then doing 45 minutes of picking up, folding up, washing up, and sweeping up. Then I fall into bed and repeat the same thing the next day. Then the next day. And the next! Monotonous? Same-o same-o? Yep!
So, back to the sentence. When I googled “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” I found out Thomas Chisholm wrote it. The write up said, “You don’t need to be rescued from life-threatening danger or see God’s miraculous provision in the direst of financial crisis to truly know the faithfulness of the Lord. God remains faithful day in and day out in the largest and smallest of circumstances.” (And here is the sentence!!) THOMAS CHISHOLM WROTE “GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS” AS A TESTAMENT TO GOD’S FAITHFULNESS THROUGH HIS VERY ORDINARY LIFE.”
And there it was! A word from my Lord. My encouragement. My challenge. Even in my same-o, day-to-day, monotonous, very ORDINARY life, I will
recognize and know He is faithful! And His faithfulness is great! I am 100% grateful.