Ordinary Obedience

A few weeks ago I witnessed a beautiful thing in the life of our church.  Several of our families stood before our congregation to be honored as foster parents.  I am privileged to know many of them and their stories are unique.  They do have one very important thing in common.   That thing is obedience to the Lord.  He called them from where they were, and asked them to stand up for the fatherless.  They obeyed.

I am currently reading a book called 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker.  The author spent 7 months removing excess in specific areas of her life.  I spent a couple weeks in the jungle of Brazil a couple years ago and since then I have desired and sometimes achieved a simpler life.  From that perspective, this book spoke to me.  The author often mentioned her friends who helped her on this 7 month journey:

"The power of the church has always been in its many, many parts.  In a culture of hero worship and conspicuous rainmakers, this concept struggles to emerge, but the story of God's people comprises a billion little moments when an average believer pressed on, carried through, stepped up.  In the quantity of ordinary obedience, the kingdom truly advances."

Reading these words I immediately thought of these families.  Ordinary obedience.  The church is beautiful when we practice ordinary obedience.