Extraordinary Days

What comes to your mind when you think about extraordinary days? A ton of fun? A day filled with friends? An unlimited spending limit on a shopping spree? You name it.. we tend to guage our days on the excitement they are filled with.

I can't remember all of the details, but I recall a sermon that Ben gave on extraordinary days a few months ago. He spoke about how many of us walk through life just going through the motions of each day. Wake up, shower, go to work or school, dinner, homework, housework, sleep, REPEAT. Exciting? I think not. So what exactly makes extraordinary days? I have learned through the Word, my friends, my church and my everyday experiences that what makes days move beyond ordinary are not necessarily the events, but the mindset.

I am generally very intentional about choosing my mood when I wake up in the morning. Despite generally being sleepy and not wanting to crawl out of my warm blankets, I remind myself of all that I have been given, the opportunities lying ahead and the love in my heart. I thank God for all of these things and I pray for the strength to not lose this sight throughout the day. The days where I open my eyes to what He is delivering me are extraordinary. I read His word, I bring Him with me to class and to Hurley and to work. I allow Him to hold my hand and whisper secrets in my ear as we skip through the day. I sing His praises in my heart with the sight of the falling leaves and smiling faces.

And of course, there are other kinds of days. Those are the days where I wake up and am not intentional about my mindset. The days where I wake up and look at the list of things I have going that day and pray to get through them rather than grow through them. These days are not extraordinary. I would say they are even less than ordinary. It is during these days that I begin to doubt-- myself, my relationships, my capability. I lose myself for a brief while.

This is why I need to remember that no matter what I do with my days whether they are fun filled, full of challenges or scattered with mundane activities, when I focus on Him and remember how and why I am here, I have extraordinary days. Those lead to extraordinary weeks, and then extraordinary months and years and by the grace of God, the possibility for an extraordinary life.