God is in the Ordinary

By a worker in Japan

The other day as I was praying for our staff, I had to stop and take notice of how very ordinary they are – we all are – and remember that God calls and pursues the ordinary, the ones who are overlooked, the ones who mourn. I love that about Him.

Difficult Beginnings

I’d like to share the story of one of our jewelry-making staff. She has been with us for two years and I can hardly remember what it was like before she came. Her first months, though, were challenging for her and for our leadership team. First off, she tried different jobs we came up with but didn’t succeed. She worked at a slow pace, struggled to remember the tasks she was assigned, and quickly gave up on something. It was as if was better to say she can’t do it than risk looking like a failure. Talking with her about these things seemed to shake her confidence more. A few of our leaders (local staff) worked closely with her. They had hard conversations that I’m sure weren’t fun for either side.

Finding the Right Fit

From those talks, though, a trust relationship began. We discovered that she likes to work with her hands, and that she prefers to work alone. She said she is strong and doesn’t mind heavy lifting. One of our leaders, who is particularly gifted at seeing those who are ordinary, suggested creating a new job – one in which she would be responsible for moving, sorting, and washing pottery shards. This job seemed to fit her and give her space to grow. To date she’s sorted, cleaned, and prepared hundreds (thousands?!) of pottery pieces to be shaped and prepared to be made into jewelry. She touches each piece of pottery that comes in our door. She continues to grow in learning new tasks, and she is finding her way; finding her place. And she is doing it just as she is.

What makes us extra-ordinary?

I know God brought her to this project – I think she needs us and I think we need her. In her story I see many lessons about good team work and community. I’m also reminded that Jesus calls people who don’t necessarily stand out or seem special. Sometimes I buy into the lie that someone should look, act, or be a certain way, as though that were evidence of God’s work in their lives. Sometimes I believe that lie about myself, too.

I hope that we all can find new hope in the God who came in unexpected ways, lived an ordinary life with ordinary people, and brought the Kingdom of God right there, among the ordinary.