Everyday Saints: How your life can be transformed from ordinary to extraordinary
Have you ever felt like no matter how hard you try, you can’t shake a particular struggle? You love Jesus, but you keep tripping over the same sin again and again. Maybe you’ve wondered, “Is this just how it’s always going to be?” Or maybe you’ve looked at your life and thought, “I’m too ordinary. Too broken. Not enough.”
You’re not alone.
In the Bible, there’s a man named Moses. When we meet him in Exodus 3, he’s not parting the Red Sea or holding tablets from Mount Sinai. He’s just a shepherd — doing a regular job on an ordinary day, tending sheep in the wilderness.
Then something strange happens.
“There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush… Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up.” (Exodus 3:2)
Moses is curious. He steps closer. And then he hears God’s voice:
“Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5)
This is the first time the word holy shows up in Scripture. And it doesn’t happen in a temple or church. It happens in a dusty wilderness with a guy who’s not particularly impressive.
It’s a reminder: Holiness isn’t about having it all together. It’s about recognizing God’s presence right where you are.
Holiness Isn’t What You Think
For many of us, the word holy brings to mind strict rule-following or unreachable perfection. But holiness, in the Bible, is something much deeper — and far more beautiful. Holiness is about God’s presence transforming ordinary things. A bush. A man. A life.
When God invites Moses into relationship, it’s not based on Moses’ résumé. In fact, Moses had a past. He was a murderer. A wanderer. And yet God calls him to lead a nation.
Why?
Because God initiates relationship, and His presence changes everything.
In Leviticus 19:2, God says to Moses,
“Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel: You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.”
God’s desire wasn’t just for Moses to be holy. It was for everyone. That includes us.
Holiness Isn’t About Rules — It’s About Relationship
Holiness isn’t about how perfectly you behave. It’s about how fully you love.
Jesus summarized it this way:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ … ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37–39)
Holiness is loving God with everything you are — and letting that love spill over to the people around you, even the ones who are hard to love.
It’s a journey. A process.
In theology, we call it sanctification — the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit making us more like Jesus. It starts when we first believe, but it doesn’t stop there. It’s progressive, and sometimes it feels slow. We take one step forward, two steps back. We struggle. We repent. We grow.
That’s normal. But it’s not the end of the story.
From Ordinary to Holy
Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly uses the unexpected and the imperfect:
- Moses — a fugitive shepherd.
- David — a teenage shepherd boy who became a king.
- Esther — a foreign orphan girl who became a queen.
- Peter — a fisherman who denied Jesus.
- Paul — a persecutor who became a preacher.
And maybe you — someone who has messed up, doubted, struggled, and still wants more.
The truth is: You don’t have to be impressive for God to use you. You just have to be available.
What If This Week Is Holy?
What if this week, instead of chasing spiritual “highs,” you asked God to make your ordinary life holy?
- Your kitchen table could be holy ground.
- Your morning commute.
- Your walk around the block.
- Your messy family dinner.
All of it can be holy — if God is there.
This week, ask Him:
“God, show me where You are with me in my everyday life. Help me step into all You are calling me to be. Make me holy through Your presence.”
Let Him point out areas of your life He’s inviting you to consecrate — to set apart for His purposes. That could be your thought life, your work ethic, your relationships, or how you spend your time.
And remember: He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion (Philippians 1:6). You are not a lost cause. You are a work in progress — and God is the One doing the work.
Take off your shoes. You’re standing on holy ground.
Even here. Even now.