To describe myself in one sentence would be this…
An ordinary girl following an extraordinary God.
Now, here is the long description…
I am overjoyed with this life God has given me! However, nothing in my life seems extraordinary, but rather ordinary.
I have always felt like my life is ordinary or average. I am perfectly comfortable with that fact. I would often love to observe life yet be invisible in it. I also am naturally uncomfortable being the center of attention! This strongly contradicts the draw I have to teaching, singing, and writing. I LOVE doing these things!
I grew up in church, knowing that I am loved by my family and more importantly loved by God. Being raised immersed in the church culture, I have always known about God. I understood as a child that the only way to Heaven was through Jesus’ redemption. So my journey with God started when I trusted in Jesus as a child.
By the time I was a teenager I had learned to recognize the voice of God and knew that He had called me to serve Him with my life. God allowed me to start building on my love for singing and teaching and showed me ways I could serve Him. During this stage of life I surrendered to go wherever He wanted and do whatever He would allow. Since I still wasn’t sure what that would look like, so I tried my best to follow Him step by step.
One of those many guided steps was to date Jeremy Hare. Only God could have orchestrated what happened with that step of faith. This date became my highschool sweetheart and then became my husband. We have now been married for over 25 years. God has guided us and blessed us with 6 beautiful children!
Looking at the overview of my life, I still view myself as an ordinary person, but to describe my life as ordinary seems unfair. My thoughts are so often torn between thinking of myself as unworthy of love (especially God’s love) to seeing myself as a holy servant, clothed in the righteousness of God. I have learned that this is just a matter of perspective, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I am simultaneously both. Because of my relationship with Christ I am adopted into his family, and fully function as a holy, righteous, saint of the living God, yet, I am still the same ordinary, unworthy, sinner.
The more that I study Scripture the more I find myself in a place that I can see that it is ok to be ordinary. Much like the people that were used in mighty ways in the Bible, I don’t have to try to change who I am to be good enough or useful to God. If the fact that I regularly sin against Him hasn’t prevented Him from loving me, then my average abilities, looks, skills, family, etc. surely cannot sway Him. I can remain ordinary and yet, my life can be so much more because of the extraordinary God that I follow.
This ordinary girl with ordinary days and ordinary abilities has seen extraordinary things! All of them are because of God allowing me to see them. Any success or acclaim that appears to be mine has to be only because of Him. He allows me to participate and I in return want to give all glory to Him. I remain overjoyed with the life God has given me, knowing that I will continue to see him do extraordinary things!
“For from Him and through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:36
Teresa Hare 