We Aren’t Called To Be Ordinary // Heather Dillingham

Let’s play a game. I want you all to give yourself a work review right now. Yes, like those uncomfortable, once-a-year reviews that nobody likes.

If you stay at home, imagine this review is going to your spouse or your children instead of a boss. Ready? Let’s go.

Q. How would you rate your attitude at work?

Q. Would you consider yourself an ordinary worker? What sets you apart?

Q. What do you hope to get out of this job?

Three questions, that wasn’t so bad right? But those three questions can bring up some very real observations. Let me show you…

My Answers:

1. Ooff, can I plead the fifth? To be honest my attitude has been not great as of late. I easily lose patience with myself and others and have been finding it hard not to disassociate. 

2. Yes, while I would love to say that I am extraordinary, currently I’m not. I do a really good job of teaching my children and creating things for them, but I struggle with play and connection with them and my spouse.

3. I’m not sure, but hopefully functioning humans. 

Why the review?  Because what we do at work matters. Oftentimes those that we work with see more of us than our family. They can be the easiest ones to lead to Christ or away based on our attitude and how we present ourselves. Because of this, we need to work with a purpose. We need to work knowing we are called to be more than ordinary.

In Daniel 6:4 we see that Daniel gave a great example of this; 

“At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.”

When the administrators and satraps of Babylon tried to find corruption or negligence in his work, they couldn’t. You have to assume by the text that the faults they were trying to find were normal, maybe even faults they had themselves. 

But Daniel, because of God’s work in him, wasn’t normal. 

His review would look something like this…

Q. How would you rate your attitude at work?

1. My attitude is great. I am kind, wise, and show discernment.

Q. Would you consider yourself an ordinary worker? What sets you apart?

2. Yes (I feel like he would be humble here), I am ordinary in the fact that my goal is to serve and serve well. I am set apart only by what God has given me. 

Q. What do you hope to get out of this job?

3. My goal is to glorify the Lord.

So the last question is, are you choosing to be ordinary at work, hiding your faith or giving into the stress to be less than what God asks? Or, are you choosing to lean into God’s abundance even if it sets you apart or makes you a target for those who don’t understand?

Take time this week, even now, to write out your answers.

God, I pray for each woman reading this. That we first and foremost understand how important we are in the work you have given us. God that you guide our hands and give us strength especially when we feel on the edge of failure. God I thank you that you can and always will provide the encouragement, strength, and wisdom we need. Lead us to be more than ordinary. Lead us to be like you. In Jesus name, Amen!

Conviction Brings Faithful Blessings

In our last blog we read about the importance of having a godly foundation.  Bethany Thomas shared about her childhood and how her parents raised her according to the Bible and then sent her out into the world praying that she would follow God’s direction for her life.  

She shared about Daniel and the other young men of Israel being taken captive when King Nebuchadnezzar’s army invaded Jerusalem and the “training regimen” they were to undergo.  Part of their training included daily provisions from the King’s royal food and from the wine that he drank.

But Daniel, because of his foundation;

“...determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine he drank.”

  Daniel 1:8

If you know my husband or I, you know that we are trying to plan our first EVER vacation together.  To a beach.  Where people wear swimsuits.  Between you and I, I’ve gained about 50 pounds since I married Mark almost 13 years ago.  I was underweight when we married, but that’s not the point for this story.  

The point is, we’re on a diet.  We bought special food and smoothies to drink for all but one of our meals each day.  Jeremiah, our youngest son, often watches me wide eyed as I try to swallow the thick, pasty substances or dry, almost stale feeling crunchy things.  You would’ve thought I was drinking some kind of awful liquid after losing a bet, but it’s only my diet food.  High in protein and fiber and full of yummy probiotics….but low in flavor and carbs.  As much as I don’t like some of it, I know it’s good for me.  It fills me up with good nutrients and vitamins and makes me feel full so I don’t binge eat chocolate chip cookies.  Not often anyway.

Similarly, in Babylon, Daniel may not have been eating protein drinks and crunchy sticks, but he was eating what was good for him and ONLY what God wanted the Israelites to eat.  I sometimes imagine Daniel and the boys standing in front of a glorious “char-dude-ery board” full of choice meats, yet he chose to eat what he knew was good for his body and was acceptable to God.  Daniel and his friends made a commitment to purity and did not eat the food that was forbidden by God.  They DETERMINED, or decided ahead of time, to stick to their convictions.

Like Bethany suggested, sometimes we get in trouble because we have not DECIDED ahead of time where to draw the line or what our convictions are.  Amazingly, God gives perfect insight into what we are to  do.

“Love the Lord you God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength….Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Mark 12:30-31

If you do that, you will not have to worry about what type of protein drink or crunchy stick to eat or only eat vegetables as Daniel did.  You will be pleasing God by obeying His commands and bringing glory to Him.  

But how do we do that?  How do we know what it is that God is asking us to do?  What are your convictions?

For me and I believe you as well, it is by spending time with the Father.  Not just a checklist of to do’s time with God, but genuine, focused, intimate and devoted time with Him.  Time that is beyond my morning “quiet time”.  This year in particular, God has been telling me and showing me the importance of having a Sabbath rest with Him.

Earlier this year myself and several women from my House Church committed to fasting and praying for one another for 2 weeks as we prayed through specific needs for ourselves and loved ones.  When we talked about doing the fast together everyone agreed that they long for the intimacy they had with Christ during our corporate fast in January and all wondered why we “lost” the intimacy we had gained with the Father during that time.  And we experienced Him again.  And to some extent, we “lost” the intimacy AGAIN when the fast ended.

In my time with God since then, this is what He has been teaching me.  I’ve discovered that rest is not a time to be lazy and disconnect from the world, but a time to connect with the Father.  Rest is instituted in a Person - the Lord of the Sabbath.  His rest is rich and sweet, easy and light, just as He said it would be.  “Learn of me.  You will find rest for your soul.”  This “rest” is a holy relationship.  

Resting in Jesus involves remembering Him, knowing Him, following Him, obeying Him, trusting Him and enjoying Him.

Christ has commanded and I am obeying and committing to a weekly (and daily if we are honest) Sabbath rest time with Him.  This is my conviction.  I am to set aside focused, devoted time to worship Him, pray with Him, study His word.  Marvel at His creation.  Stand in awe at His people.  Listen for Him to speak.  Respond with anticipation.  Be His representative in a lost and lonely world.  Share the gospel and honor Him with my surrender.

I am EXCHANGING a life full of to-do’s and half hearted time with Him, for the fullness of Christ in each and every day through worship and honest devotion to Him.  In surrendering this sacred time to the Father, I will be equipped, as Daniel, to DETERMINE in advance, how to honor God in everything that I do.

Our lives matter.  When we stick to our convictions and show discipline in following Christ, God is faithful to give us more of Him.  In Daniel’s case, he flourished both physically and in;

“Knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom.”  Daniel 1:17

God rewarded Daniel’s faithfulness.  God will reward yours, whether now on earth (and 20 pounds of weight loss) or for eternity with Him.

Godly Foundation

When I left home for College it was the first time where I legitimately had control over my own life. I had been removed from my home environment and safeguards. My parents weren’t with me to make sure I went to church (I didn’t always). I had to take care of my own finances and say “no” to things I wanted but didn’t need. I can’t say enough how grateful I am to say that my parents are Jim and Val Anderson. They raised me according to the Bible and then sent me out into the world praying that I would follow God’s direction for my life.     

In the book of Daniel, we are introduced to four Israelites: Daniel (God is my Judge), Hanania (Yah has been gracious), Mishael (Who is what God is?), and Azariah (Yah has helped). These young men are from noble, influential families. Basically, the future leaders of their captive people. 

“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

These young men were snatched from their homes, religion, and culture. They even had their names changed: Daniel was called Belteahazzar, Hananiah was called Shadrach, Mishael was called Meshach, and Azariah was called Abendnego. In taking away their names the Babylonians were taking their last connection to their roots.

Part of the training regiment included a change in their diet. Their food and drink was provided by the King to bulk them up and give them energy for their studies. However, there was a problem. The meat that was served to them had been sacrificed to the gods of Babylon. 

Daniel though wanted to stay faithful to God and His commandments so, 

“…Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my Lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.” Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬ 

There are going to be situations in our lives as Christians where we are going to be asked (and told) to change how we live life. The world is going to say that there’s nothing wrong with relaxing our guard. But it’s when we relax and stop seeking God that we fall out of the presence of God. He’s still with us but it becomes harder for us to hear him speak to us. Daniel was given favor and grace by God because he was faithful. He followed God’s instructions even when it would have been smart to go along with what the chief steward asked of him. 

What are areas in your life where you find yourself exchanging the ways of God for the ways of the world? Is your foundation in God strong enough withstand the sneaky pressures of your day to day life? I find myself having to concisely make the choice to focus on what God wants me to do.  

Bethany Thomas is the Publicity Coordinator and a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a daughter of God, a wife, and a dog mom. When not writing for the blog, you are most likely to find her reading a fantasy novel or crafting at her home in Sapulpa, OK.