Just an Ordinary, Average Joe

After watching those brilliant, toned, driven Olympic athletes and their feats, it can certainly intimidate those of us without those well-trained bodies -- physically AND mentally!

We are just ordinary, average Joes. How could we ever excel and become so remarkable and outstanding in our "sport" or our "job" or our "family and relationships"?

“Vive la différence!” No need to compare ourselves to anyone. We are who God made us to be and He has plans for us that have potential and possibilities written all over them. It’s a brand-new day to posture ourselves with a "can-do-anything" mindset!

We can purposely leave the remains of yesterday behind with an optimistic "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13) attitude for this new day.

Let’s go outside and inhale this new day with determination and faith. If we listen closely, we'll hear those words again that give us new hope for this brand-new day. "All is well."

In real time, we may feel like the weight of the world is on our shoulders but take heart -- all is well. OUR Almighty God, our all-knowing, all loving, omniscient One, is THE ONE Who empowers us beyond "Average-Joe-ism"!

The Bible goes to great lengths to show us that all the people on its pages were ordinary, average "Joes":

1) Joseph, the youngest of ornery, jealous brothers and the beloved son of his father, Jacob. This "Joe" took heart. Despite a pit and a prison, he succeeded to a palace when he became the Governor of the land and ultimately took care of his entire family.

2) Joseph, the father who adopted Jesus, who could have divorced his pregnant fiancée, but instead, took heart, and stayed to love and care for Mary and Jesus.

3) Joseph of Arimathea – a wealthy, virtuous and caring man in high office. He took heart and boldly gained Pontius Pilate’s permission to bury Jesus in his own tomb! This Joseph helped set up the grandest of all stories – the stone being rolled away and our Lord risen from the dead!

Many others in the Bible conquered because God filled them up with His Holy Spirit and breathed life into their dreams. Through ordinary people who did ordinary things, God made miracles happen that changed the world for good.

WE are the Bible people of today in these times and the same Holy Spirit breathes life into our dreams and our hopes and our plans so that we too will accomplish great things.

Take heart, brothers and sisters! All is well. Breathe deeply. Do your part. Fight the good fight. Offer grace. Love. Work for justice. Move with mercy. Be kind. Keep your focus. Keep moving forward. Keep looking up. Keep offering up every little thing in your ordinary life to the God of above and beyond great things!