Everyday Holy

"On that day 'HOLY TO THE LORD' will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord's house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord Almighty."

Zechariah 14:20-21 (NIV)

Holy means to be set apart for God. Scripture tells us that the words "Holy to the Lord" will be posted on every day items. I love how the ordinary becomes extraordinary when it's dedicated to God and His purposes. We have things like "guest towels" and "the good china". In our closets we keep things like "dress shoes". We have pretty candles that we save and never burn. We keep our most precious jewelry locked up in a safe or stashed in a jewelry box and never ever wear them. Some people even have beautiful cars that they keep parked and rarely drive. These things are precious to us, and they should be. We should be good stewards of what we've been given. We shouldn't trash or waste special things. And yet, something inside me wonders, what good its it doing hidden away?

I was thinking about perfume. I used to have a precious bottle of perfume that I loved. I savored the scent and it was not inexpensive so I used it very rarely. I felt so special when I wore that perfume and I loved to touch the pretty bottle. I kept that bottle for years, only using it for special occasions. And then one day I realized that this special fragrance had lost what had made it special to me. Over time, the precise combination, the perfect chemistry of the solution, and broken down, no longer giving the liquid its beautiful aroma and therefore, making it completely useless to me. I had to throw away what was left because I had been too afraid to "waste" it when it was good. Such a shame!

There was a story about perfume in the Bible. It was the story about a woman who broke an expensive jar of perfume and poured it out on Jesus' feet in an extravagant gesture of love and worship. It shocked some in attendance, but Jesus understood it and defended her. He loved that she poured out all she had, because she did it from a right place in her heart.

I've been learning lately about a concept called "prosperity with purpose"--about being a generous and giving person, and about how we can use what we have to bless others. That really struck a chord in my heart. There were times in my life when I would accept guilt upon myself because I didn't think that what I was doing was "big" enough..."holy enough". I kept waiting for some super-miraculous future when in fact I was already executing divine things right in the very midst of everyday life! I sense that the Holy Spirit wants us to give ourselves some credit for all the little things we do that "pour out the perfume" every day.

One windy day, while I was parked outside my children's school waiting for the bell to ring, I noticed someone pick up a garbage can on the other side of the road that had blown over. It was not their can. In fact, this man was simply driving by and noticed the wayward can and took it upon himself to pull over, get out of his car and go pick up that can and return it to where it would be safe and sound. Such an ordinary thing. A nice gesture, yes. But I couldn't help but be stunned by it because I thought, "Right there is the hand of God!". Right there! Someone did a nice thing for a stranger! And demonstrated in that action is love and kindness and integrity. I was impressed!

My little girl and I were in line at the grocery store one day and the lady in front of us had purchased a package of special cookies and then before she left the store, she turned around and handed the cookies to me. "For your daughter", she said! Wow! What an undeserved thing! What a pleasant surprise!

A friend recently bought me a book that I had prayed for, but had not asked anyone for. I just said, "Lord, I'd really like to have this book, but I don't think I should buy it for myself. If you think I should have it, please put it on someones heart for me. Thank you Lord. I trust you." And it was a lovely birthday gift! My friend listened to the heart of God and met a desire. Holiness was in action.

Holiness doesn't need goosebumps or grand music or even good china. Every day things, every day situations, every day needs are just the matrix we need to do the will of God. To be set apart for Him and His will. Being generous of heart can come out of just what we have at the moment. And what we have doesn't even always mean money, but also our time and our energy and our kindness. "Let him who has eyes to see, see and ears to hear, hear." Look, and you will see the state of the hearts around you. Listen, and you will hear the needs. And the beautiful part is that we're already equipped to meet some of those needs and in God's economy as we do meet some of them, we will be refilled plus some.

Eventually, every little thing we do has the stamp of holiness upon it. Every birthday card, every ride to the doctor, every trip to the store, every phone call, every load of laundry, every bill paid, every gesture and thought and wish and prayer is dripping with the gleam of the Holy. Even every pot and pan and every drop of precious perfume can be used for something out of this world.