Are you waiting for inspiration?

Hey, you! 

Yeah, you reading these words.  I’m talking to you! 

You, with the newspaper in your hand.

You, looking at your computer screen.

You, looking at your “electronic device.”

Did I leave anyone out?  Then, I’m talking to you, too.

I’m talking to you because I appreciate you for talking the time to read these words and because you matter to me. Seriously, I’m not kidding.

Would you like to know what I wish for you?

I wish for you a “moment.” A moment when it’s like the windows of heaven are opened and God pours out such inspiration that your purpose for living comes into focus. A moment that causes you to exclaim, “This is what I was made for!”

Have you had one of those moments? Have you had more than one?

Here’s the good news: those moments really do occur—those moments of supernatural inspiration.

Here’s the not-so-good news: If you are anything like me (bless your heart), they are infrequent at best. We may occasionally visit those moments, but we don’t get to unpack our suitcases and permanently move into “moment land.”

Sorry about that.

So what do we do the rest of the time—during the normal days of our lives—the ordinary moments?

Do we just hang in there, biding our time and conserving our energy, until the next “moment?”

That’s not how God intends for us to live.

In his classic devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers writes, “There are some people who are… spiritually feeble and weak, and they refuse to do anything unless they are supernaturally inspired. The proof that our relationship is right with God is that we do our best whether we feel inspired or not.“

Did you catch that?  He suggests that waiting for supernatural inspiration and motivation is actually evidence of a feeble and weak spiritual life!  The test of spiritual maturity is how we live, not how inspired we feel.

Now, here’s some really good news: it is possible to BYOI (bring your own inspiration). How is that possible?  Not by manufacturing “moments,” but by bringing our best to the responsibilities of daily living.

When we are amazed by God (who He is, not just what He does) and respond to His invitation to join Him in His amazing activity in the world (revealing the light of His love and the reality of His kingdom), we have discovered the secret to bringing inspiration to the most tedious and uninspiring moments.

I talk a lot about discovering our Amazing. In fact, I’ve added a new label to my website: discoveryourmazing.com. But, this is so crucial to understand: our Amazing is not simply discovered in what we do in the inspiring moments but in who we are becoming in the ordinary moments.

Our lives—the inspired and the ordinary—matter to God. How will you bring your best to today’s ordinary moments?

Be amazing today, my friend.