The Everyday Christian Survival Guide

How God Calls Us to Live (Without Accidentally Becoming That Person)

There is something oddly comforting about the fact that Jesus didn't spend His ministry teaching people how to become famous, wealthy, or admired.

He spent most of His time teaching ordinary people how to be... well... good humans. Kind humans. Honest humans. Patient humans. Humans who don't lose their testimony because the grocery store only opened one checkout lane.

If we're being honest, most of us don't struggle with the really obvious commandments. Most of us aren't plotting bank robberies while sipping our morning coffee.

But we are tempted to roll our eyes. We gossip. We complain. We become impatient. We secretly hope the person who cut us off in traffic gets stuck behind every red light for the next twelve miles. (I'm just saying... if you've ever whispered, "Lord, teach them a lesson," you're in good company.)

The beautiful thing about Scripture is that God isn't only concerned with the big sins everyone notices. He's deeply interested in the little things no one else sees. Because those little things shape our hearts.

Love People... Even the Difficult Ones

Jesus gave us one command above almost every other: Love one another.

Notice He didn't say: 

"Love people who agree with you."

Or...

"Love people who return your text messages."

Or even...

"Love people who use their turn signals."

Just...Love.

Sometimes loving someone means encouraging them. Sometimes it means forgiving them. Sometimes it means quietly praying for them instead of winning an imaginary argument in your head while you're folding laundry.

Love doesn't always feel warm and fuzzy. Sometimes love looks like patience. Sometimes it looks like silence. Sometimes it looks like walking away before your mouth gets ahead of your sanctification.

Speak Less. Listen More.

The Bible tells us to be:

• Quick to listen.

• Slow to speak.

• Slow to become angry.

  
  

Imagine if every social media platform required that verse before allowing us to comment. The internet might become strangely peaceful overnight.

Words are powerful. They can encourage. They can heal. They can build someone up...Or flatten them faster than stepping barefoot on a Lego.

Once words leave our mouths, they're impossible to retrieve. It's much easier to swallow pride than to swallow words.

Don't Be a Professional Complainer

Some people collect antiques. Others collect coffee mugs. Some collect complaints.

There always seems to be something wrong. The weather. The food. Politics. Traffic. The church. The music. The coffee wasn't hot enough. The coffee was too hot. The coffee existed.

The Israelites wandered in the wilderness complaining despite watching God part the sea, provide food from heaven, and guide them every single day.

Sometimes I wonder if we're much different.

We complain while holding tiny computers that can instantly connect us to almost anyone on Earth. We complain sitting in air-conditioned houses. We complain with full refrigerators.

Gratitude changes the atmosphere of the heart.

Complaining usually just makes everyone around us want to find another room.

Be Honest... Even When It's Inconvenient

God values integrity. Doing the right thing when nobody is watching. Returning too much change. Keeping your promises. Not exaggerating stories just to sound more impressive.

Being trustworthy is one of the quietest ways we reflect Christ. Character isn't built during the moments everyone sees. It's built during the moments no one ever will.

Forgive More Than Feels Fair

Forgiveness is one of the hardest commands Jesus gives us. Mostly because people are... people. They disappoint us. They misunderstand us. Sometimes they deeply wound us.

Forgiveness doesn't say what happened was acceptable. It says we refuse to let bitterness become our permanent roommate. Bitterness rarely hurts the person who caused it. It mostly poisons the one carrying it.

God never asks us to pretend pain didn't happen. He asks us to hand it over to Him. Repeatedly if necessary.

Stop Comparing Your Life

Comparison has existed long before social media. Now it simply has better lighting.

Someone always seems to have:

• the prettier kitchen,

• the cleaner house,

• the larger garden,

• the more successful business,

• the happier marriage,

• the cuter dog,

• or somehow manages to bake sourdough while homeschooling six children and training for a marathon.

  
  

Meanwhile, you're congratulating yourself because everyone remembered to wear matching socks today.

God didn't create you to become someone else. He created you to faithfully become who He designed.

Comparison steals joy. Contentment multiplies it.

Choose Humility Over Being Right

Have you ever noticed how exhausting it is trying to win every disagreement? Sometimes the greatest victory isn't proving you're correct. It's preserving the relationship.

Jesus washed feet. The Creator of the universe...washed feet.

If anyone had the credentials to announce, "Do you know who I am?" it was Him. Instead, He served. 

Real greatness in God's Kingdom rarely looks like worldly greatness. It usually looks like quiet humility.

Be Generous

Generosity isn't measured by dollar amounts. It's measured by the heart.

Sometimes generosity is money. Sometimes it's your time. Sometimes it's listening to someone who desperately needs to talk. Sometimes it's writing an encouraging note. Sometimes it's baking cookies for the neighbor. Sometimes it's simply noticing the lonely person everyone else walks past.

God has always been generous with us. His people should reflect that same generosity.

Refuse to Gossip

Gossip often disguises itself as concern. "I'm only telling you so you can pray..."

Then suddenly everyone within a ten-mile radius knows the story. If we wouldn't say it while the person is standing beside us...perhaps we shouldn't say it at all.

Before speaking, ask yourself: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?

If the answer is no...perhaps it's better left unsaid.

Let Your Life Point to Jesus

People often meet Jesus through His followers before they ever open a Bible. That doesn't mean we have to be perfect. Good thing, because perfection left the building somewhere around Tuesday morning.

But people should notice something different. Peace instead of panic. Grace instead of harshness. Hope instead of despair. Kindness instead of criticism. Humility instead of pride.

Not because we're naturally wonderful. But because Christ is changing us little by little.

What Should We Avoid?

Scripture warns us about attitudes that quietly pull us away from God:

• Pride that believes we know better than everyone else.

• Gossip that damages reputations.

• Anger that controls our actions.

• Jealousy that steals contentment.

• Greed that says nothing is ever enough.

• Dishonesty, even in small things.

• Bitterness that refuses to forgive.

• Selfishness that ignores the needs of others.

• Hypocrisy—looking holy on Sunday while forgetting Jesus on Monday.

• Judging others while refusing to examine our own hearts

  
  

None of us gets these right every day. That's why God's grace is so extraordinary. Every morning is another opportunity to begin again.

Walking With Jesus One Ordinary Day at a Time

Following Christ isn't usually about dramatic moments. It's about thousands of ordinary ones.

Choosing patience when you're running late. 

Choosing kindness when someone is rude.

Choosing honesty when lying would be easier.

Choosing forgiveness when your feelings say otherwise.

Choosing gratitude instead of complaining.

Choosing love over pride.

The Christian life isn't built in giant leaps. It's built one faithful step at a time. And the wonderful news? Jesus doesn't ask us to walk it alone. He walks beside us every single step.

So tomorrow morning, before the emails arrive, before the coffee gets cold, before the dog decides the mail carrier is clearly a threat to civilization, and before life begins tugging at your patience, remember this: The goal isn't to impress the world. The goal is to reflect Christ.

And thankfully, He specializes in transforming ordinary people into extraordinary reflections of His love—one ordinary day at a time.

XO, Marie