People assume that because I work for an international ministry, my job must be exciting. Some days it is, but most of the time it’s a normal, routine desk job. Only a handful of my colleagues get to spend regular time in the field, trekking through straw-thatched villages where people are hearing the name of Jesus for the first time.

Me? I sit in a cubicle every day, in front of a computer, writing letters and grant proposals, organizing photos, attending meetings, and discussing marketing strategies.

I love it, but it’s pretty ordinary.

Sometimes, when life seems mundane, there’s a danger in missing its significance. We get complacent–bored, even–and wonder when God is going to move us into his real plan and purpose. I’ve cried out to God many days, asking when He will give me my next big assignment.

But what if God’s ultimate plan is not one day but right now? Right here, even in the ordinary. Especially in the ordinary.

Not everyone can brave the mountains of Nepal or the valleys of Peru to share the gospel…and not simply because we possess different means and abilities. Someone has to give money for the trip. Someone has to schedule the flight. Someone has to fly the plane and drive the bus. Someone has to write reports and reconcile budgets. We all have a part to play, and all of it is vital to growing the Kingdom of God.

Some of us will go to the field and preach in villages. But the majority of us will show up to clock hours in a cubicle. Ordinary. Unknown. But with no lesser purpose.

Maybe you don’t work for a ministry like I do, but you’re the only believer at your office. Or the only Christian that passes the homeless man on the corner. Or the only one supporting a local missionary. We are where God has placed each of us–for such a time as this.

And that’s why today, I’m encouraging you to find the awe in where you are…whether you are balancing spreadsheets or mopping up after your kids, whether you are in waiting or celebrating the next stage. It’s all part of the journey. It all matters. One day, we will see it.

Psalm 46 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” It’s hard to be still–inwardly or otherwise–when we’re doing big, exciting things. But in the ordinary…when we’re sad or bored or frustrated…that’s when we’re most likely to hear His still, small voice.

No doubt, God is on the mission field. If you go there, you will find Him. But He’s also right where you are. His presence always goes with you, because you are His. There’s nowhere you can go where He can’t follow, and nothing that can snatch you out of His hand (John 10:28).

That’s the promise that first brought me to Christ…and the one that will always awe me.