Chasing the Magic

I was never much for the mundane.  Even as a small child, my heart was always seeking out whatever was wondrous, whatever was larger than life, that which transcended the material world.  I wasn't satisfied with the ordinary world, with its practical concerns and cares.  I wanted magic and mysticism.

There is both good and bad in this longing of mine.  From the beginning, this desire for "more" gave me a profound interest in religion that I would later learn did not come easily to everyone.  Because God is transcendent, His love and miracles represented the "magic" by which I could rise above the mundane.  So as I aged and many others around me seemed content in material pursuits, I spent a lot of time thinking of spiritual things; I daydreamed about miracles, Heaven, and God.

But there's a dark side.  I am the type of person who can spend so much time longing for this "magic" that I have a hard time finding the magic that is in the mundane.  God made this "ordinary world," and it doesn't honor Him if I find it boring and bland.

Hmm...needs more salt...

Besides, some of the greatest ways to serve God are not to be found in mystical visions or sweeping feats of adventure, but in performing the humdrum tasks of daily life.  That's what life is all about, for most of us.  These small tasks keep the world going, and a guy like me can easily miss the beauty of that.

"Do little things with great love."  St. Therese of Lisieux said those wise words.  That means finding the miraculous in the natural, the adventurous in the ordinary, the spirit in the material, and God right here in our midst.  Jesus said, "The Kingdom of Heaven is in your midst!"  Right here, right now, all the  "magic" I ever sought is all around me, hidden just beneath the surface of the everyday.

I pray that everyday I might open my eyes a little more to this reality, until I finally see that, in Christ, nothing is merely mundane.