Thank you for this beautifully reflective piece. I deeply resonate with the idea that “in the particular is contained the universal.” Scripture consistently affirms this. Jesus rarely built His teaching on grand abstractions; He spoke of mustard seeds, sparrows, bread, lamps, coins, vineyards, and fishing nets. The Kingdom of God was revealed not in spectacle but in the ordinary rhythms of life. That alone tells us something profound: God is not only present in the dramatic, but He is faithfully present in the mundane.
Your honesty about feeling your story was “too ordinary” is refreshing. Many believers quietly carry that same tension. Yet biblically, faithfulness often looks less like dramatic rescue and more like steady formation. Galatians 6:9 reminds us not to grow weary in doing good, precisely because transformation is often incremental, relational, and unseen.
Your arm-wrestling story captures this beautifully. What seemed trivial became relational currency that opened spiritual space. That mirrors how Jesus built connection: eating meals, walking roads, and noticing individuals others overlooked. Small moments became sacred bridges.
To answer your question: one “particular” I often reflect on is simply listening to someone in pain without rushing to fix it. Again and again, I’ve seen that quiet presence communicate God’s compassion more powerfully than eloquent words. Sometimes the universal truth is this: people experience God not through our perfection, but through our availability.
Thank you for reminding us that testimony isn’t measured by drama but by grace. The ordinary life, attentively lived, is often where God’s deepest work unfolds.
Thanks for sharing Ze. Yes, that quiet presence of listening and being with people in their pain is so important and often avoided. Thank you for providing that space for others.
It's funny that right before I read your article I read of the same concept in a Richard Rohr book. He says that Hebrew Scripture scholar, Walter Brueggemann, calls it "the scandal of the particular". Rohr described it several different ways. One of my favorites was "the specific to the spacious". It made me think of how one awestruck moment like coming upon a wildflower or a waterfall or even a person in need can open up space in your heart & spirit. Thank you so much for your thoughtful messages.
I love that language, "Scandal of the particular." So much of prayer and the spiritual life seems to be about cultivating that kind of awareness. Thanks for sharing that.
Craig, I have often felt the same way. I did not have the dramatic conversion either. Across my life though I have seen God's hand in ordinary moments. Thank you for this writing, it is inspiring.
Thanks Dennis, it's something I've had to constantly remind myself of over the years. It's hard to feel like those little things matter when only the big dramatic stories are highlighted.
Craig,
Thank you for this beautifully reflective piece. I deeply resonate with the idea that “in the particular is contained the universal.” Scripture consistently affirms this. Jesus rarely built His teaching on grand abstractions; He spoke of mustard seeds, sparrows, bread, lamps, coins, vineyards, and fishing nets. The Kingdom of God was revealed not in spectacle but in the ordinary rhythms of life. That alone tells us something profound: God is not only present in the dramatic, but He is faithfully present in the mundane.
Your honesty about feeling your story was “too ordinary” is refreshing. Many believers quietly carry that same tension. Yet biblically, faithfulness often looks less like dramatic rescue and more like steady formation. Galatians 6:9 reminds us not to grow weary in doing good, precisely because transformation is often incremental, relational, and unseen.
Your arm-wrestling story captures this beautifully. What seemed trivial became relational currency that opened spiritual space. That mirrors how Jesus built connection: eating meals, walking roads, and noticing individuals others overlooked. Small moments became sacred bridges.
To answer your question: one “particular” I often reflect on is simply listening to someone in pain without rushing to fix it. Again and again, I’ve seen that quiet presence communicate God’s compassion more powerfully than eloquent words. Sometimes the universal truth is this: people experience God not through our perfection, but through our availability.
Thank you for reminding us that testimony isn’t measured by drama but by grace. The ordinary life, attentively lived, is often where God’s deepest work unfolds.
Blessings,
Ze Selassie
Thanks for sharing Ze. Yes, that quiet presence of listening and being with people in their pain is so important and often avoided. Thank you for providing that space for others.
It's funny that right before I read your article I read of the same concept in a Richard Rohr book. He says that Hebrew Scripture scholar, Walter Brueggemann, calls it "the scandal of the particular". Rohr described it several different ways. One of my favorites was "the specific to the spacious". It made me think of how one awestruck moment like coming upon a wildflower or a waterfall or even a person in need can open up space in your heart & spirit. Thank you so much for your thoughtful messages.
I love that language, "Scandal of the particular." So much of prayer and the spiritual life seems to be about cultivating that kind of awareness. Thanks for sharing that.
Craig, I have often felt the same way. I did not have the dramatic conversion either. Across my life though I have seen God's hand in ordinary moments. Thank you for this writing, it is inspiring.
Dennis Sheppard
Thank you Craig! Beautiful!
Thanks Vernon
Thanks Dennis, it's something I've had to constantly remind myself of over the years. It's hard to feel like those little things matter when only the big dramatic stories are highlighted.