Last Updated on February 15, 2024 by Stacy Averette
From where I sit your life seems magical.
I see your posts and photos and hear your stories of adventure and travel and remodeling your kitchen.
And my life seems painfully ordinary.
I blame it mostly on pollen.
I’ve sneezed 4,372 times in March already. My nose is raw and allergy medicine makes me crazy!
I’ve walked around at home like this for weeks:
Can anyone relate?
My hubby kept telling me to slow down and rest.
And then I saw this quote on Instagram.
I didn’t realize how mad and sad I felt about not feeling well. So I took the advice and rested for a few days.
I leaned into sleeping later, walking slower, doing less, and eating more.
But I felt like I was “doing nothing” and I’m not very good at doing nothing.
Abide in Me
Abide in me and you shall bear much fruit. Jesus said that and then He reminded me of it again this week.
Abide = stick to, stand by
My job—your job—is to stick with Jesus.
I’m reminded that Jesus promised to always be with us but I wonder if our problem is that we’re not always with Him. I mean, you know, you can be with someone and not really be with him, right?
So I set my mind and heart to abiding. And you what?
I felt the kindness of Jesus even when I was “doing nothing”.
He helped me see that He is where the mundane becomes sacred.
He is where the mundane becomes sacred.
What I Saw
My daughter shared about the makeup she bought at Ulta.
I saved a screenshot from Denmark Cottage stories where she shared a can of paint brand that promises to cover in one coat. I plant to test it when the meds wear off. By the way, Tammy (Denmark Cottage) has a beautiful home and her Instagram feed is one of my favorites.
I took a picture of Maddie before church Sunday, “just because”.
And I giggled as I looked back at this pic of Maddie helping Caleb get ready to go to prom a few weeks ago.
I sent Maddie a pic of the ice cream and chocolate syrup I bought at the store to let her know I was thinking of her while she was at work.
Saturday we drove over to Cartersville, Georgia. I don’t think I’ve ever been to Cartersville before. What a pretty place! I think we’ll be making another trip here when we have more time to explore.
Eric and I met our friend Ron and Pastor Charles Simoonga for lunch on Sunday. Pastor Charles is the visionary behind Mufutuli Vineyard Ministries in Zambia where I went in 2016 and Eric went in 2017.
If you’re interested you can read more about my trip to Africa by clicking on the links below.
Going to Africa with Fear and Great Joy
What I Haven’t Told You About My Trip to Africa
Favorite Photos from My Trip to Africa
As we were eating lunch outdoors, I noticed the beautiful cherry trees blooming beside me. (Not a good pic, sorry.)
Before heading home I browsed through the Southern Living Store as Eric sat in a chair outside enjoying the beautiful weather. Such a beautiful store!
On the way home I snapped a few pics of Lake Guntersville. Always stunning! We love to visit Guntersville. The Guntersville Bed and Breakfast is beautiful with a great view of the lake from the second story balcony. There are lots of shops and dining within walking distance, too! I shared some pics of the bed and breakfast in a post about our trip to Vintage Pickin. Click here to see the post.
Not a great pic, sorry. But I didn’t roll down the car window and we were going 60 mph so there’s that.
Now let me ask you?
Do you see your life as magical and full of adventure?
Or would you describe your life as painfully ordinary, too?
Ruth Chou Simmons said this on Instagram this week:
This has been a long winter for me. But suddenly, branches are brimming with flowering buds and green shoots break through the cold, hard earth. Turns out, Spring arrived while I was busy thinking I’d never make it through the winter. In reality, despite the way it feels to our feeble minds, God has not been hibernating or taking time off in our winter season. While we’re wondering if He’s still at work in the circumstances that feel so impossible, He has been holding all things together for the unfurling of His plan.
I think we all have seasons—times that feel like long hard winters right in the middle of Spring.
But God.
My space here on the internet writing about “where the mundane becomes sacred” is a hard place to be sometimes. Truth be told, I get it wrong a lot and many of my days are more like “where the sacred becomes mundane”.
But one thing I know for sure: I can’t help being a wholehearted participant in the sanctifying work God is doing in me.
So I persevere to see and believe in His work in me and abide in the seemingly mundane moments of my life.
God is here.
And He is there where you are, too.
Friend, when life seems painfully ordinary remember to do this: ABIDE.
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5
P.S.
Thank you, Jesus, for allergy meds, good lighting, and makeup! I’m finally feeling like myself again.
You should also know that the back of my shirt says, “Champ”. hee hee.
