Why do we imagine Christians as people who are remarkably extraordinary? Can’t Christian guys simply be average, ordinary dudes? 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! When Christ began His ministry, he did not recruit the best or the brightest men to be His disciples. He wasn’t looking for men who had it all figured out. In fact, Christ picked a rag tag bunch of deviants that were willing to listen and follow His teachings… then left His entire mission up to a group of ordinary guys. And they changed the world.
So why 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.
Hear this…you are not perfect. You’re not exceptional. You are simply…ordinary, and you are in good company. Thinking you have to get all of your junk worked out before you can kneel before God and join His fellowship is a lie that evil will tell you. Let’s face it, we’re all a little weird and we’ve all done some things we aren’t proud of. You aren’t the only person who hangs on to their past and finds it difficult to forget failures. Take a deep breath and understand that God is asking you to come to Him just like you are.
“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 far from exceptional Acts 4:13 ) followed and learned from Christ. He transformed the way they saw the world and lived in the world. The disciples were just ordinary guys…who ended up changing the world. What about you? Ordinary?
Find some joy in your life and understand what Christ meant when he said… “Follow my teachings… they are easy… and they won’t weigh you down.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
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. Your adversity is relative. 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.
You must understand that God comes to us when we’re broken in order to put us together. We can’t fix ourselves… which is tough to confess. Christian men aren’t perfect, we make mistakes, we slip into periods of darkness, and we do some things that aren’t always pretty or nice. The more we practice our faith, the further apart the dark days tend to come. I’ve made my mistakes, but that doesn’t make me less of a Christian. Learning from the mistakes and allowing God to intervene before we repeat them… is where growth happens.
Never listen to the evil whispering in your ear that you must be upright and perfect to follow Christ. Remember that Christ went to the edges and fringes of society to find guys like you and me. And he’s doing it still… everyday.
So come together you big bunch of average-ordinary-everyday-dudes! Let’s go change this world and make some disciples. Ready?
About the Author
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.