Common Is Good

"Common-looking people are the best in the world; that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them." Abraham Lincoln

I loved the quote! In the devotion "Look at a Person's Heart" in the book "Abraham Lincoln's Daily Treasure" I thought the words interesting and very true. "Outward appearances can be deceiving. It's what inside--one's motives and character--that matters most."

And, of course, Scripture backs that up: "Your adornment must not be merely external . . . but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of good." 1 Peter 3:3-4

Most of us our just regular folk, leading a regular life and having regular families. We're in the majority!

"If you value outward appearances more highly, you may have passed right over Abraham Lincoln if you had had the chance to hire him or choose him for a friend. Look inside a person to discover what he or she really is made of." Thomas Freiling, editor of the above book

I didn't know some coneflowers grew to 5 - 7 feet! This was a big surprise! I found the label and sure enough it said 5 to 7 feet!

Sometimes our self esteem is less than it should be. Being average you don't stand out. At least you don't think you do. But all those little things you do that no one seems to notice, are noticed.

"A life need not be great to be beautiful. There is as much beauty in a tiny flower as in a majestic tree, in a little gem as in a great jewel . . . A life may be very lovely and yet be insignificant in the worlds' eyes. A beautiful life is one that fulfills its mission in this world, that is what God made it to be and does what God made it to do . . . But the smallest life that fills its place well is far lovelier in God's sight than the largest and most splendidly gifted--yet fails its divine mission."  Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

The Bible talks about common people with this verse: "Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?" Romans 9:21

Common is good. Some lead and teach. Many encourage and show mercy. Many help. Many serve, many do the littlest things that make a BIG difference!

I've shared this passage by George MacDonald before, but it's worth repeating in this post:

"Few are needed to do the out-of-the-way tasks which startle the world, and one may be most useful just doing common place duties, and leaving the issue with God. And when it is all over, and our feet will run no more, and our hands are helpless, and we have scarcely strength to murmur a last prayer, then we shall see that, instead of needing a larger field, we have left untilled many corners of our single acre, and that none of it is fit for our Master's eye were it not for the softening shadow of the cross."

And a fun quote for all us folk: "Scripture makes it clear that every person has a reason for his or her existence . . . If contentment is the ultimate goal, you should negotiate with the cows to take over their pastures. Their contentment with grazing in a grassy meadow seems to overshadow the satisfaction of most human beings with their life situations." Dorothy Kelley Patterson

So remember to be true to your calling and your natural inward beauty will shine!