I didn’t pick that Bible verse because it’s a big statement, but because it’s not. It’s true that it’s a big deal that Jesus was OK with them doing that on the Sabbath, but let’s just focus on how mundane it is to walk by a grainfield and pick grain.

The point is that much of the lives of those we consider super spiritual wasn’t spent doing awesome things, but doing everyday life, like us.

This message was impressed on me yesterday: The type of life I live, not big accomplishments, achieves the lasting impact I seek.

That’s a message I don’t want because, sadly, the type of life I live doesn’t seem meaningful enough. It seems like the meaningfulness I want is achieved in the rare and high moments. I want to write a book, and I’m set on the idea that once I do that I will be meaningful.

Are you dreaming of pinnacles too? If so, you’re probably neglecting the very things that would make the lasting impact you seek.

Maybe you have this line of thinking in sports too — that the rare feats matter most. But that implies that those not on the podium have failed to achieve what matters most.

But, that’s not true.

Even if you write a book, or set the school record in the 200 meter dash, people care less about that than the kind of person you are.

If you are inconsiderate, unloving, and not humble, you aren’t a powerful or victorious person. If you are considerate, loving, and humble, you are a powerful and victorious person. Those rare heights are deceiving — and so are the lows.

The lows make us seem like losers, but let’s look at Jesus as an example. His power isn’t shown just in events like raising Lazarus from the dead and being transfigured. His power is in His humility, not just in His podium photos.

If Jesus had an Instagram account, He’d be washing feet, talking to a prostitute, and getting beaten up in some of the pictures — and aren’t those low moments what make God most compelling? The same is true for us among each other.

Try this out and see if it’s not true — that the type of life you live isn’t more important than the rare and high feats you achieve.

You can test this idea out by thinking of someone you know personally and admire. I bet you don’t care as much about their podium moments as the type of person they are, right?