In the Mundane Moments, Everything Can Change

I've learned a new word.

Quotidian - adj - (kwo-ti-de-an) = of or occurring every day; daily; ordinary; especially when mundane

What if. . . the power of change and transformation happens in the moments of your day?

That would mean you need to pay attention, and especially to the moments you think are boring.

In the quotidian moments of making the bed, doing the dishes, interacting with those around us, standing in the checkout line, stopping by the post office, and the endless list of everyday, ordinary, mundane minutes – THAT IS WHERE everything could change for you and others.

The Power of a Moment

When you recognize these 3 moments in your day and take action, heaven and earth meet as you link up with God’s work in you and others. 

1. A Moment to Pray SPECIFICALLY

You are fixing lunch when you get a text from a friend telling you she has the flu and is unable keep any liquids down. 

It is an everyday moment of chopping vegetables for your salad, but also a potential opportunity to turn this daily occurrence into an “anything but ordinary” minute of targeted prayer. 

Pray. And be specific. 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6 NIV 

There is praying (talking to God) and then there is petition (targeted + specific + passionate). 

Petition (or supplication as some translations use) is not half-hearted or insincere prayer but is describe in James 5:16 as tremendous power released through the passionate, heartfelt prayer of a godly believer. 

Turn this mundane, ordinary lunch moment into targeted prayer! Add heartfelt passion and thanksgiving to your prayer and then watch God’s tremendous power released.

2. A Moment to Live Out Your Mission Statement

You are uniquely designed and called by God, but your mission statement is only a sentence unless you live it out in your ordinary, mundane moments. 

What 3 verbs describe your God-given mission? The first place your mission statement is tested and experienced is in your home. 

So, in that moment when you are busy and your teenager is sulking at the kitchen table, stop what you are doing. Take a moment to sit and listen.

You are to encourage, inspire, champion, mentor, touch, help, or whatever other verbs you are called to implement in this world. Start RIGHT HERE in this quotidian moment.  

(Write your mission statement in this FREE workshop.)

3. A Moment for Transformation 

It is in the dailiness of Christian faith – the making the bed, the doing the dishes, the praying for my enemies, the reading the Bible, the quiet, the small – that God’s transformation takes root and grows.

Tish Harrison Warren 

You are being formed into a new person, more and more like Jesus, and that happens in the everyday, ordinary moments. 

Those minutes - when you are discouraged, fighting with your spouse, doing the laundry (again), and reading your emails – these are the quotidian moments where everything can change, and transformation can start. 

Keep on the lookout for those moments. They happen unexpectedly and ALL THE TIME. 

20,000 Moments

Nobel Prize-winning scientist, Daniel Kahneman, suggests that each day we experience approximately 20,000 moments.

Out of 20,000 moments in your day today, how many do you think will be life-changing?

None of them if you don’t start paying attention.

Many of them, if you look for opportunities to pray, spaces to be mission-minded, and willingness to be transformed.