Four Reasons to Be Thankful for the Mundane
July 31st, 2023 • by Abigail Houston
I shut my laptop once again, having just completed yet another day of work, with a to-do list that never seems to end and will most certainly be waiting for me tomorrow. Looking at my cold, almost-gone cup of coffee, I realize that my days often bleed together, not with much distinction in between.
What do you do when you’re stuck in a mundane, day-in-day-out routine?
My current season, though sweet, has been quite mundane. Simple, sweet, and fairly predictable. I complete the same routines, frequent the same places, and spend time with the same people. It would be easy to become bored by the monotony, or even tempted towards grumbling. And yet, I’m learning that the mundane is where the Lord so often teaches me.
If you think about it, the hills and mountaintop experiences are few and far between. The mundane is where real life happens, and if we look hard enough, we can find tremendous sweetness and joy when we recognize that the Lord goes with us, even in the everyday, humdrum routines.
“It’s in the regular rhythms of life that God often shows us more deeply what is going on in our hearts”
So rather than complaining or looking to the next more exciting season, perhaps, we can be thankful for this mundane season because…
1. This is where the Lord teaches us the most.
Because there is so much routine in life, we can easily slip into going through the motions. And yet, it’s in the regular rhythms of life that God often shows us more deeply what is going on in our hearts and points out root issues. When we have a routine, we can even have space to be more attentive to what the Lord is teaching us.
2. We can pour into the people we’re regularly around.
If you’re in a season similar to mine, then you might see the same people over and over again, whether that’s your family, your church community, your kids, your friends, or your coworkers. You might be tempted to grow weary of seeing and serving the same people, day in and day out. But take a moment to consider if the Lord might be intending to do something here.
This season, in particular, the Lord has been prodding my heart to remind me that this is the time to learn to love not out of my own reserves. He’s been prompting me to draw from Christ and pour into those around me by loving and serving them. Rather than complaining about the monotony of my days, I can be thankful for this extra time he’s given me to serve those around me.
“We can choose to be thankful because every good and perfect gift comes from our unchanging, loving Father.”
3. We get to learn to appreciate the little things.
Mountaintop experiences are fun. They are sweet gifts from the Lord, and when we enjoy them by giving thanks to God, we glorify him. Yet, most of life is not composed of mountaintop experiences. Life is usually more filled with the mundane rather than the magnificent.
But we can learn to give thanks to Jesus for the small gifts he gives. Early quiet mornings spent with him, late night conversations, even cleaning the house—all of these are reminders of the gift it is to have a loving home, a sweet church family, and intimate friends…I could go on. We can choose to be thankful because every good and perfect gift comes from our unchanging, loving Father (James 1:17).
4. We remember that our satisfaction doesn’t depend on our circumstances but on the Lord.
When life IS more mundane (which, remember, is not a bad thing!) we can remember that our joy, security, and satisfaction are not dependent upon our circumstances. Sure, when big things happen, it is fun! They are exciting, but they don’t determine where our satisfaction is found. When our satisfaction is found in Christ, we can be filled with joy in any circumstance. And the mundane is the perfect training ground to learn contentment and satisfaction in Christ (Phil. 4:11).
We can rejoice and give thanks for the mundane, then, because through it Christ teaches us. He uses this season (and every season) to make us depend on him as we serve. He allows us to cultivate gratitude for the little things, and he reminds us that our delight, our satisfaction, and our all in all is found in the only One who can satisfy.
Abby Houston loves all things theology, people, and coffee! She enjoys spending time with her friends talking about what the Lord is teaching them, as well as evenings at home with her family. You can often find her at her keyboard composing melodies, at the gym, or writing on her laptop. You can connect with Abby on Instagram.
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