WANTED: ORDINARY.
What this world needs are more ordinary guys. I’m talking about, plain, boring, monotone, dorky, average, dudes that don’t have a 6-pack set of abs, or bulky biceps. It’s tough being perfect isn’t it? I figure that since we are physical specimens to be admired and studied, and our intellect is far beyond average… we just can’t relate to what’s going on around us.
*sigh* We would have it made… if we just knew how the mind of an ordinary guy worked.
Why is it that we have this picture of being a Christian as someone who is remarkably extraordinary? Why can’t Christian guys just be ordinary guys? I’ve talked to hundreds of guys over the years who have expressed a general lack of interest in living out their faith because they just don’t think they can elevate themselves to the “perfect” standard.
Wake up and give me a break. Christ Jesus rolled into town and chose his disciples from the cast offs and left behinds of the elite leaders. In ancient Jewish society, the school system was learning the Old Testament. The young boys would begin their education around the age of 6 or so and begin memorizing the Torah (First 5 books of the Old Testament – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). At the end of this process, the boys now about age 10, would be quizzed on what they’ve memorized. Those boys that could apply and connect understanding with recollection would be invited to advance their education in order to come closer to being excellent. The boys that just didn’t have it would be kicked out and told, “Go about your father’s business… learn a trade… you’re not good enough.”
When Christ began His ministry, he did not go looking for the best or the brightest. He wasn’t looking for disciples that had it all figured out. In fact, Christ picked a rag tag bunch of deviants that were willing to listen and follow Christ’s teachings. Then Christ left His entire ministry up to a bunch of ordinary guys. And they changed the world.
Why in all of creation would we think that we’ve got to have it all together to not only be a Christian, but to practice our faith? It’s no wonder why guys like you and me find it hard to fit into a religious culture that shuns us for our crude behavior and our rough edges. I don’t blame you for wanting to run the other way when the little gray haired ladies scowl at you for saying something unrefined.
There’s something you need to realize. You’re not perfect. You’re not exceptional. You are ordinary… and you’re in good company. There’s a myth that most of us hold and it’s the idea that you have to have all your junk worked out before you can kneel before God and join His fellowship. We’re all a little weird. We’ve all done some things we aren’t proud of. We all hang on to the past and wallow in our failures. God is asking you to come to Him just like you are.
There is a key to faith that most of you seem to miss. Salvation is often presented as a complicated process of somehow saying that you believe in Christ Jesus and that He is the savior of the world… and then you’re good. I’m going to challenge that. Salvation in Christ is understanding who He is… what He taught… and living the way He taught. The messiah came to clarify what God said over and over again to His people of Israel.
“Love God with all that you have… every fiber of your being. And you do this by loving your neighbor as yourself.”
Can you do this? I’m going to say that you can. The disciples (who were barely educated and nobody special) listened to Christ Jesus and transformed the way they saw the world and lived in the world. The disciples were just ordinary guys… what about you?
If you want to find some joy in your life and understand what Christ Jesus meant when he said… “Follow my teachings… they are easy… and they won’t weigh you down.” (Matthew 11.)
In the face of your adversity and your imperfection, you need to forget your own pain and find ways to help others relieve their pain. You’ve heard the old joke about the guy that went to the Dr. and told him that his toe hurts. Then the Dr. smashed the guys hand in the door to his exam room and asked him again… what seems to be your problem? And the guy said, “My hand is killing me!” And the Dr. then said, “what about your toe?” to which they guy replied, “my toe is fine compared to my hand.”
Your adversity is relative and always rudely poking its head into your life time and time again. You can quickly forget your pain when you focus on helping someone else. God’s provision for your life is found in the aiding and assisting of others.
The best I can tell… is that you’re just a self occupied lazy guy. That’s a shame. It’s time you put that stuff down and grow up in your faith. If you choose to complain about the world today… you better be ready to do something about it.
So what is your excuse now?
There is nowhere in God’s world that says you’ve got to be perfect to know Christ. All you have to be is Average Ordinary Everyday Dudes. And from what I see around me… there are tons of us walking around.
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Welcome, and thanks for dragging yourself over to Live|Bold! My name is Greg Arnold and I am pumped to see you here. This interactive online community is here to point every man toward the cross. Whether you have been a follower of Christ for ages, or you are just stumbling into this strange new world of faith, we have something of value to offer you. This online e-zine is a cross between a blog, a social network, a resource center, and a pulpit. My hope is to inspire you to live your faith on the outside and be a real man for God. We need you in the fight. 
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Ordinary Guy
What you mean? I am an ordinary guy who makes more mistakes than I can count on both hands. I think about myself more than I think about others most of the time, even when I try real hard. I get very angry with people that talk on their cell phones, and then I realize I’m in too big of a hurry.
Today is my birthday and my dad brought me a card yesterday. In days gone by I would have torn it open to see how much money he put inside. But the comments that he wrote in his own hand were more important than the money. I don’t know why maybe it’s because I am getting older, maybe I realize that my dad won’t be here much longer, maybe I am just thinking about our relationship more, but all these thing are just ordinary. I’m just ordinary like everyone else.
Yesterday, I missed an opportunity to act with boldness. I regretted it two seconds after the opportunity passed and wish that I had acted like a Christian at the time. I blame it on being busy; I rationalized the situation, by placing my goodness against the person whom was down and out. A fellow came into where I was working and asked if I had any work for him to do. I was deep into fixing a spreadsheet and was pre occupied. He said he was down and out and only had $3.00 to his name. He was disabled and his check would not be there until the weekend. He looked bad, he smelled bad and he was in need and I missed the opportunity. I guess I held him up against myself. I guess I played the comparison game and it blinded me from my own mess by comparing my life with his. I guess I figured he was heading in a downward spiral and held myself up high. But whom should I really be comparing myself to? How do I compare to Jesus? I failed because I am just ordinary or because I did not think about him as the least of my brethrens. I even told him that up the road about a mile or so was a church and that they might be able to help him. If I believe that I am the church, the body of Christ, then why did I react like I did? I don’t know but I cannot blame it on being ordinary.
I think about my actions and I am ashamed. I am also sure that on my final day, Christ will say why did you not help me when I only had three dollars to my name? When I say, Lord I’m just ordinary and I failed will not cut it. If we hold up each of our actions first to Christ then we will not think of excuses and feel that we missed opportunities. Think about this brings to my mind this scripture of Paul’s.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 8
I think as I reflect about my ordinariness I realize that I need to hold up my mind, body and spirit against; whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable as Christ himself did.
Just being ordinary is not enough…
The Ordinary Man
Ghost: Wake up in the morning and tinkle in the loo,
Take a hot shower, watch the news!
Then it’s eggs over easy on the greasy side,
Oh yeah, I’m just an ordinary guy.
I’m an ordinary guy ‘cept I can fly,
And sometimes I’m invisible.
All day long I’m just a-rightin’ wrongs,
And making evil villains miser’ble.
Zorak: Oy, you can say that again!
Ghost: I love making evil villains miser’ble!
Zorak: Ehh, of all the cartoon shows in all the universe, I get stuck on this one!
Ghost: Workday’s over and I got me a date with a big fat piece of pie!
I sit around thinking “What a good boy am I!”
But, hey, I’m just an ordinary guy. Just an average superhero kinda guy.
I’m just an extraordinary guy!
Oh, yeah!
I guess when it’s all said and done if we really died in Christ and are born again we need to strive to be better than ordinary. Like our old coaches told us to give 110% all the time in all we do. I think we can strive to do this if we hold Christ up to every thought, word and deed that we face in everything we do. Maybe we need to have one of those rubber bracelets that say ”WWJD”. Then we might go beyond just being ordinary.
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