How Exciting Is Your Life?

Our lives often feel bland. We look at the narratives of biblical heroes and marvel at how colorful their lives seem to be. Take Joseph, for example. Joseph’s story is exhilarating—family betrayal, false accusations, unfair imprisonment, divine gifting, rags-to-riches arc within the Egyptian establishment—it possesses all the key facets of an enthralling narrative. But reading through Genesis again, I noticed that Joseph fulfilled Scripture in the most mundane way. His life isn’t all glitz and glamor. Some of it is dull and ordinary.

To see this, though, we need to rewind momentarily to Genesis 12.

The Turning Point in Genesis 12

In Genesis 12:1–3 we read the call of Abram (soon to be Abraham). We need to note two important elements in these brief verses.

First, the Hebrew root “bless” occurs five times. The significance of this is that the Hebrew root “curse” occurs five or six times in the preceding chapters (there are two Hebrew words translated curse in the first 11 chapters, one occurs five times and the other once). The call of Abraham therefore marks a turning point, the opportunity to roll the curse back with blessing—a fresh start.

Second, Abraham is promised three things: land (v. 1), descendants (v. 2), and the privilege of being a conduit of blessing to all the families of the earth (v. 3). Much of the Old Testament is concerned with these three elements and the myriad ways in which God keeps his promises to Abraham. Genesis 12:1–3 is programmatic for what is revealed in the rest of Scripture.

Joseph’s Place in God’s Promises

It is with this in mind that we fast-forward to Joseph’s story. In a passive sense Joseph is evidence of God keeping his Genesis 12 promises, for he’s a descendant of Abraham. Abraham fathered Isaac; Isaac fathered Jacob; Jacob fathered Joseph. Abraham and Sarah, who were barren for most of their lives, not only have a child, but grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and, through Joseph, great-great-grandchildren (and so forth as the genealogies of the Old Testament demonstrate).

But Joseph is also evidence of God’s keeping his Genesis 12 promises in an active sense. As a result of Joseph explaining Pharaoh’s dream, he’s given authority over Egypt. Only Pharaoh’s throne sits outside Joseph’s power. What Joseph does with his newfound influence is extremely mundane, however.

Mundane Tasks, Eternal Impact

He gathers food in preparation for an impending famine. He administrates what can be eaten and what must be stockpiled. We can almost imagine him sitting at a desk, pensive look on his face, with an abacus calculating amounts and noting in hieroglyphics the answers he is coming up with. It’s all a little dull and ordinary. But this mundane administration fulfils God’s promises.

In Genesis 41:56–57 we learn that because of Joseph’s administration of the food, when famine struck, not only Egypt was fed but all the earth. A descendant of Abraham is blessing all the families of the earth in a very practical, concrete way. God is keeping his promises in the bland, excel spreadsheet activities of a government official.

Encouragement for the Mundane Moments

This connection should be hugely encouraging for us. Even in our most mundane tasks we can fulfil God’s grandest promises. Whether it’s creating the church calendar, taking minutes in committee after committee, making sure the heating system in the church building works, washing toys for the children’s ministry, helping in the car park, whatever the mundane task that faces you week after week is, in its faithful execution we can contribute to blessing all the families of the earth.

If you’re anything like me, weary of the mundane administrative tasks that fail to spark excitement—the tedious nature of repetitive duties that often seem inconsequential—remember, the first food Joseph stockpiled sat there for seven years! In God’s goodness, however, our small acts of faithfulness—no matter how ordinary—are often woven into tremendous testimonies of God’s blessing the world through Abraham’s true descendants (Rom. 9:6).

The gospel goes forth in mighty awakenings that very obviously evidence the activity of the Spirit, but it equally goes forth in the quiet whisperings of ordinary tasks completed faithfully. Indeed, the mundane evidences the Spirit’s activity every bit as much as the extraordinary.

Joseph the Civil Servant

Joseph doesn’t lead military conquests like Joshua. Joseph doesn’t confront false prophets like Elijah. Joseph doesn’t fell great giants like David. Joseph doesn’t sail the high seas like Jonah. He’s a civil servant, a government official, a pen pusher. But his story reminds us that even in the faithful completion of the most mundane of tasks we’re fulfilling Scripture’s grandest promises.