You can learn more about God through the simple, daily tasks of life than you probably can in a seminary or bible school. There you might learn much in the way of theology, but perhaps not so much about God that comes through seeing Him in the everyday. Christ commanded us to "Learn of Him," and since all creation speaks of His glory, then one of the best places to learn of Him is through the everyday things of ordinary life.
For example, I was baking the challah for my fellowship group this morning and while I was kneading the dough, I learned something about how God kneads us into shape to be that 'broken bread and poured out wine' that serves others in the things of God.
First, the more you knead, the better the bread gets. We will go through many trials and temptations, much in the way of the pressures of choice in this world, all of which 'knead' us and work the life of Christ into us more and more. It is these trials, these shared sufferings for the sake of the gospel, i.e. we endure because of our love for God, and faith in Christ, that we will endure what needs to be endured, whether it be an ill mannered co-worker, a domineering parent or spouse, or to continue to love a wayward child ... these are the shared sufferings, as we work to keep our tempers, mind our own manners in Christ, and remember to keep His Word and the faith of Him in all that transpires.
We many times get it wrong I believe in thinking that the only suffering Christ ever did was on the cross, and the hours before then. I would beg to differ. To anyone who has chosen to live for God, and not themselves, I dare say He suffered more getting TO the cross, than He did on it. I do not for one moment, minimize the pain He endured from the lashings and beatings, but that was to His body which was to perish anyway. The assaults of soul and spirit, of the choices between family and mission, the burden to keep His disciples in the Word, resisting man's efforts to short-cut God's purposes, and the devil's efforts at unbelief and broken faith and again, with all the temptations to His flesh, I believe He suffered more for us getting TO the cross, abiding in the fullness of faith and complete surrender to God's will, than the bodily sufferings He endured on it. Those sufferings, for anyone caring to ponder on it, were His ticket out of the creation and back to the Father.
Persecution is perhaps the easiest to endure. I may be speaking ignorantly, as never having been in a non-Christian country, and have never endured the life or death persecution, the imprisonments and the like that others have endured for their faith. Yet I will say, that in my own life, natural hardship and suffering are easier to deal with than the spiritual. Hardship and discomfort are to the body. It is when you are faced with a choice, and no one is watching, and all the pressures around you are due more to the thoughts and fears that assail you, then you know suffering. When you know what you need to do, ought to do, and you are left to make the choice, yet everywhere you look, every thought you have ends in doom, destruction or loss if you obey - that is the shared suffering that Christ speaks of. In truth, I believe the battle to discern the voice of God above all others, and the choice to obey Him in the face of loss and every argument the devil can throw at you, and every effort of the world and probably your own flesh and family to dissuade you from your course of action is a battle worthy of the name 'spiritual warfare.'
Another thing I learned is that when baking bread, you only use as much flour as is needed. It is only as you work the bread that you see the need to add a little here, just a dusting of the hands, to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. God gives us what we can bear, not all we need to get through. We increase little by little. As we are kneaded, we become sticky to the things of this world. Our desire to hold onto it increases, the more we are kneaded and pressed into shape. It takes a little more flour, a little more 'dusting' (we are made of dust) to get us to let go of the world. That's why just when you think its all coming together, something enters the picture that makes you want to hold onto this world rather than obey God.
It also takes perseverance to make good bread. When you consider that you are the 'bread of life' that God ministers to those in need around you, then maybe you can see the relationship with perseverance in making good bread. You need to be kneaded for a good period of time. There is no such thing as no-knead bread in God's kingdom. It takes perseverance to continue to knead, especially when you think it's OK. A couple more folds and kneads, and then you realize it still needs just another light dusting to bring it together. Giving up too early makes it heavy. No layers. No depth to the flavours. It is the kneading that actually makes the bread, and it takes perseverance, both to do the kneading, as well as to endure it. It is those who endure to the end that shall be saved. In different terms, it is the kneading we endure in the world, by the world, through the will of God, that brings us into that perfection of love and faith He is looking for.
And finally, there comes a time when everything becomes 'just right.' The dough is thoroughly kneaded and has a nice spring to it. It recovers well from whatever pressure is applied. It has an almost imperceptible stick to it, but not enough to glue it to the kneading board. In the terms of godliness, you have enough 'stick' to keep hold of what is necessary, that you not be robbed and plundered of the things of God, yet not enough to hold the things of this world too close or dear. More kneading would probably make it heavy and tough. God doesn't want us to be tough old birds, crusty and cranky from all that we've been through. He wants us soft, pliable, workable in His hands, unstuck from the world, yet ready to rise for His glory, and well able to do so when the heat is applied. It is once the kneading is done that you are left to become established, settled, to rise for His glory.
This may not mean much for anyone but me, but sometimes it's these little lessons and insights that help you to know God is with you, opening your eyes to catch glimpses of His glory, and deepen your knowledge and understanding of Him in ways that formal training will never do. And so I share this, simply because there are far more of us who are called to an ordinary life, to be lived in an extraordinary way, than there are called to big ministries and public recognition. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if more of us would simply live our lives all out for God in the ordinary and the mundane, we would achieve a far greater victory for God and the glory and increase of His kingdom than any effort at world-wide ministry probably could.
To those of you who are limited to the ordinary, or even choose it, to you be blessing, honour and glory, for you are the 'stay and the staff' that keep the lights of the kingdom on in this world, provided of course, you don't let yourself get too sticky with the things of this world.