Popular blogger Shannan Martin offers Christians who are longing for a more meaningful life a simple starting point: learn what it is to love and be loved right where God has placed you.
For Christ-followers living in an increasingly complicated world, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to live a life of intention and meaning. Where do we even begin?
Shannan Martin offers a surprisingly simple answer: uncover the hidden corners of our cities and neighborhoods and invest deeply in the lives of people around us. She walks us through her own discoveries about the vital importance of paying attention, as well as the hard but rewarding truth about showing up and committing for the long haul, despite the inevitable encounters with brokenness and uncertainty. With transparency, humor, heart-tugging storytelling, and more than a little personal confession, Martin shows us that no matter where we live or how much we have, as we learn what it is to be with people as Jesus was, we'll find our very lives. The details will look quiet and ordinary, and the call will both exhaust and exhilarate us. But it will be the most worth-it adventure we will ever take.
©2018 Shannan Martin (P)2018 Thomas Nelson (From the Amazon description of this book)
A few months ago, I read this book and was captivated from the start. It's easy to think that living for Jesus and spreading His love requires a large, organized effort, or perhaps learning a new language and going to another country. While some individuals are indeed called to such endeavors, perhaps many of us are meant to serve Him exactly where we are.
“Stay here in this land. If you do, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you” (Jer. 42:10). Wherever you are, you’ve been planted there with purpose.” ― Shannan Martin, The Ministry of Ordinary Places: Waking Up to God's Goodness Around You
“Go where you’re sent. Stay where you’re put. Unpack, as if you’re never going to leave. And give what you’ve got.” This is our job. Every day. Until we are told to go, we stay.” ― Shannan Martin, The Ministry of Ordinary Places: Waking Up to God's Goodness Around You
"Bloom where you are planted" is a phrase I encountered as a teenager, and it resonated with me. In Jeremiah 42:10, God tells the people of Israel to remain where they are, promising to strengthen them there. He placed them there for a purpose and would remain faithful to them. Essentially, it means to live each moment as if it is your intended purpose, to engage with the person you are meant to speak with, and to love the child you are meant to care for. Your purpose lies in the place God has positioned you in the present. If He has a different plan for you, He will reveal it. I find this idea both liberating and motivating.
“What on earth can we do to make this sad and beautiful world a little softer for everyone?" ― Shannan Martin, The Ministry of Ordinary Places: Waking Up to God's Goodness Around You
“Eugene Peterson wrote of our need to listen and wait, attend and adore. We unite as we listen, yielding the floor to another. We pay attention, fully present, when our lips aren’t moving and our minds are alert. I am stunned by the richness of discussion this posture invites. I’m swept away by the freedom found in viewing people not as teammates or rivals but rather as friends and brothers.” ― Shannan Martin, The Ministry of Ordinary Places: Waking Up to God's Goodness Around You
Opening our hearts to our neighbors, regardless of differences in lifestyles or beliefs, can be challenging, messy, and yet incredibly rewarding. By taking this risk, we might discover that we are more similar than we ever imagined and that the love Jesus offers us extends to everyone around us. We may also find that we receive as much love as we give and that others see value in us even when we doubt ourselves. Living this way, I believe we will uncover a richness and beauty in life that we have never experienced before. God designed us for relationships and created a diverse range of people to add depth to living this way, if we're up for the adventure.
I highly recommend this book if you're seeking a new perspective on the importance of everyday life and relationships.
To learn more about why I write, and why I share my life here, please read this post - Uniquely You, For a Purpose.
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