I recently stumbled upon a word that made me take a second look. The word was mundane.

I figured it meant ordinary, routine, blah, or ho-hum. And these are correct synonyms (words that mean the same). Webster’s defines mundane as “of or pertaining to this world or earth as contrasted with heaven.”

Wow. This wasn’t a Greek or New Testament definition– this is Webster’s definition. In fact, antonyms for mundane (words that mean the opposite) are “exciting, extraordinary, heavenly, and supernatural.”

Contrasted with Heaven

The reason I looked up this word in the first place was because I heard someone use it to describe how they were feeling about life in general. And interestingly, I’m seeing more and more people caught in this trap. In fact, I’ve personally felt it’s pull at times. But the Bible says, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2).

In other words, the cure for feeling mundane is to change where you’re looking.

Read it again… mundane means of or pertaining to this world as CONTRASTED with heaven. To put it another way, there’s no comparison. To be contrasted means when you set two things side-by-side, there’s an obvious unlikeness or difference —especially in nature and purpose.

This is why it’s a TRAP to set your eyes on the world. The result is mundane. It’s the enemy’s way of lulling the church to sleep through boredom and/or disillusionment, which if those don’t work by themselves, they often lead to judgment and criticisms, which then cracks the door open to division and strife.

I repeat: IT’S A TRAP.

The Bible tells us to set our eyes on things above. Only you can pull yourself out of the ho-hums. Consider Paul’s prayer for the church. God’s desire for us is to walk in wisdom and revelation “…according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come” (Ephesians 1:19-21). 

Lift your eyes (and your heart)

There’s a reason God wants us to associate with where Christ is now. When we lift our eyes (and heart) UP, we are automatically ABOVE the trap of the mundane and ho-hum. In fact, that’s where we’ll find the EXCITING! The EXTRAORDINARY! The HEAVENLY! And the SUPERNATURAL!

But you’ve first got to recognize the trap. And then, “Set your mind [and keep it set] on what is above (the higher things), not on things that are on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2, AMPC).

Remember, for every earthly problem, God has given us a spiritual solution.

So look up. Change your perspective. Recognize and get out of that trap as fast as you can.