A Life of Unexpected Preparation

Season 1 Episode 27 - Have you ever thought that your life was so ordinary that you would never accomplish anything significant?  In this episode, you will hear the story of an ordinary man with an ordinary life that prepared him to do some very exceptional.  Could your ordinary life be preparing you for something significant as well?

"Reflect on This" is the podcast version of short email devotionals I send to my family and friends, where I am sharing the things I am learning about the ways and nature of God, through applying my study of the Scriptures to the world around me.

If you like the podcast, please tell your friends and family about it, subscribe, and leave a favorable rating and review, because it helps others to find the podcast more easily (by raising the podcast in search results).

Books that inspired some episodes:

“Dream Small:  The Secret Power of the Ordinary Christian Life” by Seth Lewis
 
“The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts” by Gary Chapman

"The Lies We Believe: Renew Your Mind and Transform Your Life" by Dr. Chris Thurman

Featured resources and ministries:

“Crazy Little Thing Called Marriage” (podcast) 
This is a once a week 30-minute podcast hosted by Greg and Erin Smalley, who head up the marriage team at Focus on the Family.  Each episode addresses a different aspect of marriage, using biblical principles, practical advice, and a mixture of humor and candidness.  They also feature expert guests that share their knowledge and experience of applying biblical principles to marriage.  

"Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope" (podcast)
This is a 4 minute weekday podcast, where Joni shares stories of her life and biblical applications.  One of the world's longest living quadriplegics, God has used her courage, determination, faithfulness, and love to inspire and minister in amazing ways to people around the world.   Every time I hear her, I am challenged and inspired.  

"e-Sword" (Bible study software)
This study tool is available for download to both computers and mobile devices.  The download includes many free public domain resources, including Bibles, dictionaries, commentaries, devotionals, and maps.  It also has a multi-windowed display, so that you can simultaneously view a Bible translation, a dictionary, and a commentary.  You can also easily compare Bible translations in parallel windows.
On your computer, go to e-sword.net (free)
On your mobile device, go to your app store and search for “e-sword.” (a modest purchase price)

"Manufacture Good" (ministry)
Manufacture Good is a Christian ministry that offers 6-month paid apprenticeships to unemployed young men.  These apprentices learn important life skills and valuable woodworking and metalworking skills which lead to employment opportunities.  The program also provides mentoring in the process of discovering and following Christ.  The sale of the high-quality furniture they produce supports the ministry.  You can shop their catalog of fine home and office products, order a standard or custom piece of furniture, and learn more about this amazing ministry, at: https://manufacturegood.org/.

Music credits:
Beauty by MaxKoMusic | https://maxkomusic.com/

Transcript

In the previous episode of this podcast, I shared the remarkable story of Gary Chapman, and how his life was an unexpected preparation, orchestrated by God, to write his landmark book.  Gary and his wife wanted to be missionaries.  He applied multiple times to the mission board.  Each time they said no, and that he should do something else to prepare for the mission field.  And each time, he did what the mission board said to do – first, go to seminary, then pastor for a while, then get his PhD degree – and each time the mission board then said no.  If you missed that episode, I encourage you to check it out to hear the surprising end to Gary’s life story.  

Today, I want to share with you another story of a life of unexpected preparation.  The following is a powerful illustration from the excellent book entitled “Dream Small:  The Secret Power of the Ordinary Life” by Seth Lewis.  I highly recommend this book, and have included a link to purchase this book in the show notes.  Here is the story:

As the runners gathered at the starting line of the 1983 Sydney to Melbourne ultramarathon, it was obvious that one of them was not like the others.  The other athletes were kitted out with expensive equipment and detailed plans for how they would tackle the 875 kilometre (543 mile) race.  Cliff Young, a 61-year-old farmer, showed up in overalls and work boots.  When questioned by a curious reporter, he said, “I grew up on a farm where we couldn’t afford horses or four-wheel drives, and the whole time I was growing up – until about 4 years ago when we finally made some money and got a four-wheeler – whenever the storms would roll in, I’d have to go out and round up the sheep.  We had 2,000 sheep on 2,000 acres.  Sometimes I’d have to run those sheep for two or three days.  It took a long time, but I’d catch them.  I believe I can run this race.”

For the next five days, he ran.  Kind of.  Most witnesses describe it as more of a “shuffle.”  It was not fast.  At the end of the first day, the crowd of professional athletes were far ahead of him.  Then, after 18 hours of running, they stopped to rest, but Cliff kept going.  He shuffled on and on, and barely slept at all.  In the end, he shuffled all the way to the finish line – a full 10 hours ahead of the next contestant.  He said afterwards that he had imagined he was chasing after sheep and trying to outrun a storm.

You could say that Cliff didn’t train for the race, but you would be wrong.  His whole life was training.  Chasing sheep is hard work, even if it’s not the kind of work most people notice or applaud.  Cliff Young had spent his life on things the other contestants probably considered irrelevant, but they didn’t think that at the finish line.  In a similar way, the work you put into small dreams may go unnoticed by the world around you.  You may not gain attention or applause for it.  But when the finish line of life comes, the hard work you put into loving God and others now will pay off, more than you or anyone around you today can imagine.  Jesus said:

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.  (Matthew 16:24-27)

The paradox of living is that those who run hard to win their own life will lose everything in the end, no matter how big their pile of winnings is, while those who give up their lives to run after God and the dreams He made them for will run straight into the arms of life Himself.  [After all,] Jesus said, “I am the way and truth and the life” (John 14:6), because life is a person, not a thing.  The closer we are to Jesus, the more we experience His promise in John 10:10:  “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  That is why the writer of Hebrews tells us to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” so that we can “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).  Jesus is the one who planned this race for us, the one who gives us the strength to run it, and our greatest prize at the finish line.

As this story so well illustrates, as well as the story of Gary Chapman, if believers are focused on listening to God and pursuing Him in their day-to-day activities (instead of their own dreams for success), their lives become a preparation, orchestrated by God, for significant and unexpected outcomes.  

Today, I encourage you to “Reflect on This.”