“Many Christians have an inadequate theology of ordinary life” writes Gene Veith in his book, The Spirituality of the Cross. How about you? Do you have a theology of ordinary life? If not, you need one, because most of your life is, well, ordinary life. You know what I’m talking about: laundry and lawnmowing. Commutes and carpools. You know the drill. But do you know that a theology of ordinary life can transform your ordinary life as you learn to perceive the graciousness and generosity of God in your ordinary life?
Without a theology of ordinary life we won’t perceive the activity of God in ordinary life. It’s possible for a genuine Christian to go through a day as imperceptive of the activity of God as they were prior to conversion. Let’s not do that! The sweet purpose of God for the Christian is to perceive the gracious and generous activity of God in the apparent sameness of daily life so that, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).”
This past Sunday, we started a series we’ve titled, “Sanctifying the Ordinary.” Our intention is to explore what Scripture teaches about work, play, eating, the stuff of everyday life. And we began with the topic of sleep. For years I didn’t have a theology of sleep. I just fell asleep each night without giving any thought to it. I wasn’t marveling at this apparently mundane experience each night. I needed a theology of sleep so that I might perceive the extraordinary activity of God hidden in the ordinary experience of sleep. If you can relate, have a listen.
This post is adapted from a sermon I preached at Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville entitiled, “Sanctifying the Ordinary: Sleep,” based on Psalm 127.