I have often felt that my story, and by extension my voice, was unworthy of sharing because it is ordinary. Exceptionally ordinary. I do not have an exciting tale of redemption to share. Or a thrilling account of reconciliation to divulge through well-crafted stories. To date, I have not experienced tragic loss, grave illness, profound personal struggles, or intense inner turmoil. It is this reality that often makes me question whether I have anything of value to share with others. I am simply ordinary.

My story is mundane. My struggles are much more common to everyday life. My relationships are complex but generally well and remain intact. My health issues have repeatedly been both benign and well-managed through operative or conservative measures. My heart has been protected from deep and tragic loss. My mind has been spared the agony of chemical imbalance or prolonged seasons of darkness. And my God has been relatively gentle in His process of making me new. And this experience of the ordinary is not of my own choosing or making, but simply the story that has been written in my life thus far.

I am slowly learning to embrace the truth that perhaps there IS something exceptional in the ordinary. And that perhaps there IS a valid reason to share my seemingly mundane, boring, and insignificant struggles, particularly with the community in which God has placed me. For it is through a willingness to be vulnerable and honest that we all find the courage to fully engage in the arena of life. Every story is worthy! Even the seemingly boring ones. So, whatever your story—exciting or boring, thrilling or dull, gripping or monotonous, awe-inspiring or sleep-inspiring—embrace it. YOU are of great worth, created in the image of God, and therefore, by extension, YOUR story is exceptional, regardless of whether that story is filed under the “Exceptional” category or the “Exceptionally Ordinary” category.