Finding Significance in Our Everyday

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering” (Rom. 12:1–2 MSG).

I spent much of the last six months in a deep emotional pit. Not because my life was so hard or so terrible or out of control, but because it was, well, so normal. I spend my days in my middle-class neighborhood, cooking and cleaning, caring for my family, going to church, and on all-too-rare occasions, having coffee with friends. This life is nothing to complain about, but it didn’t seem like much to celebrate either. I was searching for significance, and the world declared me to have come up short.

Our culture tells us significance is measured by fame, wealth, and power. If you’re not making millions or featured on television, if your blog posts aren’t going viral, if you’re not so much as running your local PTA, how can you possibly be significant?

But the Bible tells us a different story, and its themes have spoken to me about finding significance in a normal life. I love how The Message paraphrases the apostle Paul’s words to the Roman church in the passage above. We are not called upon to make a spectacle of our lives, to take the world by storm. [Tweet “We are simply to place whatever it is we do before God as an offering.”]

Paul  addresses the idea of our significance and calling in his letter to the Ephesian church when he says, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Eph. 4:1 NIV). I don’t know about you, but to me, that seems like a tall order. Paul is in prison for his faith. Talk about significant! If that is what a worthy life looks like, how can I possibly live up to that?

Fortunately, Paul goes on to explain what he sees as a life worthy of our calling: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (vv. 2–3). Paul doesn’t demand that we sell everything and travel to remote destinations. He doesn’t declare that a worthy life includes jail time and political upheaval. He doesn’t require us to be powerful or loud or any of what the world says marks significance.

The Bible’s call, while not easy, is so much simpler. In a world that screams, “Look out for Number One! More selfies! More power! More ME!” having a humble and gentle spirit is hard, but impactful. Being patient and bearing with one another in love is no easy task—whether you’re talking about a temperamental two-year-old, a demanding boss, or the crazy driver who cut you off—but it stands out. Achieving unity and peace is no small task in our families and churches, but people take notice when we do it well. That achievement doesn’t require money or power or fame; it just requires a willing heart, right where you are, in your “everyday, ordinary life.” Like an iceberg, our impact is measured not by what is seen above the surface, but by the depth of our love.

We often undervalue the power of showing up, but that is exactly where our significance is found. We show up for our jobs, our families, our friends. We love with patience. We live with humility. We strive for peace with those around us. What we do is not big and flashy, and may never get our names in the papers. But this is where true impact happens, when we faithfully love and invest in the people God puts in our paths in the middle of our ordinary lives.

So as you set out to live significantly, let me encourage you to begin by asking yourself these questions:

• Who has had the biggest impact on your life? Make a list of your top three to five people, and take note of how few of them are public figures. The people who really make a difference aren’t those striving to have their names known, but those who are with you one-on-one, consistently demonstrating love, humility, and peace.

• Are you merely getting through your life, or are you living it as an offering to God? Acts as simple as packing lunches for kids, buying a friend a cup of coffee, or smiling at a stranger can demonstrate the qualities Paul talks about—if done with the right heart.

My life may not be showy, but I hope at the end of each day I can say, “God, I took what you gave me today and did the best I could with it. I loved people, took care of the body you gave me, and honored you with my actions and attitudes.” That is where my significance is found.

Katy Epling is a writer, speaker, and “masterpiece in progress” (Ephesians 2:10) from Akron, Ohio. She and her husband Jon have three beautiful children who provide her with multitudes of material—both dramatic and comedic. Learn more about her heart and ministry at katyepling.com.