Back when Joel’s father was in the latter years of his pastoring, I would drive to his house every Sunday morning and take him to church, and for several years I styled his hair for the television productions. In between, I was changing baby diapers, giving baths, reading stories, trying to run our household and be a good helpmate to Joel. During that period of time, I found out that some loved ones didn’t think that what I was doing was very important. They weren’t being mean-spirited about it. They just thought I should be doing something more significant in the ministry. To be honest, that hurt my feelings at first, and I got a little discouraged. But then I made a decision to let that go because deep down in my heart I heard the words, “Just be faithful in the small.” What I didn’t realize was that something extraordinary was being built into my life. It taught me the meaning of commitment, and the times with Joel’s father gave me a behind-the-scenes understanding of ministry life and vision. Through all those years, God was preparing me to do what I do today.

I want to remind you that Jesus says, “I came that you may have life, and have it in abundance” (John 10:10). He was saying that He came so that we could live an abundant life, an exceptional life. But too often we take our God-given extraordinary life and reduce it down in our thinking to average, mediocre, mundane. That’s why God wants you to be extraordinary in your thinking. Extraordinary begins with who you are. God says you are His masterpiece, an original creation. Your gifting is matchless. Only you can do what God has called you to do. Only you were created to be you. You were designed uniquely to be extraordinary and to live an extraordinary life.

Don’t let someone else’s definition of success determine your future. The person who isn’t impressed by what you’re doing doesn’t realize that God is preparing you for greater opportunity. God blesses faithfulness. We have to pass the faithfulness test if we’re going to go on to greater things. When we press through the everyday challenges, it produces extraordinary lessons and extraordinary character in our life. You have to expect more, strive for more, go for more, because when you’re the very best you can be today, your tomorrow will be better. When you prepare for today, you’ll be ready for tomorrow’s opportunities. When preparation meets opportunity, it’s called success. That’s what happens when we have an extraordinary mindset that expects to be full of joy, abundance, creativity, and blessing. So give it your all. Be your best every day!