Dr. Tony Evans is one of my favorite pastors. I listen to him regularly. His podcast on “chasing donkeys” stirred something deep within my spirit, awakening a profound recognition, one that emerges when truth collides with lived experience and suddenly casts light on a path you’ve long walked without grasping its deeper significance. In this message, Dr. Evans uses the biblical story of Saul from 1 Samuel as his central illustration. His exposition of Saul’s ordinary task of searching for lost donkeys, only to encounter the prophet Samuel and discover his royal destiny, became the lens through which I could finally see God’s handiwork in my own journey.
Looking back over the past thirteen years, I can trace the beautiful tapestry God has woven through what I once considered unremarkable moments. Like Saul, I’ve learned that God works most powerfully through the routine, the mundane, the everyday pursuit of what seems legitimate but ordinary.
The Revelation That Changes Everything
The principle Dr. Evans articulated is my guiding truth: God is the god of the ordinary, not merely the extraordinary. Most of His divine connections happen through our routine “donkey chasing,” those normal, everyday responsibilities we faithfully pursue. While I once waited for spectacular signs to reveal my destiny, I’ve discovered that God orchestrates His perfect intersections through the faithful execution of ordinary tasks.
This revelation transformed how I approach every aspect of my life, particularly my deepest longings to become the husband, father, and man God designed me to be.
My most significant “donkeys” have been deeply personal, the ordinary yet profound pursuit of becoming a better husband and creating the marriage God desires for us. This journey began with a simple recognition: I wanted our relationship to reflect Christ’s love for the church, but I had no idea how inadequate my understanding of sacrificial love truly was.
God began His heart operation in the everyday moments. These weren’t dramatic encounters with burning bushes; they were gentle intersections where the Spirit whispered conviction about my selfishness, pride, and misguided attempts to lead without first learning to serve.
Through ordinary books, Sunday sermons, and casual conversations with godly men, God began reshaping my understanding of biblical manhood. Each “donkey” I chased, seeking counsel, studying Scripture, practicing patience during conflict, became a divine appointment with transformation.
Intersections at Home: Marriage and Family
Perhaps nowhere has this principle been more evident than in my desire to create an environment where our children could witness righteousness modeled rather than merely taught. This longing led me down countless ordinary paths: family devotions that sometimes felt forced, bedtime prayers that occasionally seemed routine, dinner table conversations about faith that didn’t always land as intended.
Yet God has been faithful to honor even my fumbling attempts at spiritual leadership. I’ve watched Him use my imperfect efforts to plant seeds of righteousness in young hearts. The ordinary discipline of reading Scripture has created unexpected moments of profound spiritual insight. Simple acts of serving others as a family have opened doors for conversations about God’s heart for people who are less fortunate than us.
The transformation hasn’t been dramatic. It’s been incremental, like watching grass grow or seasons change. But God has been faithfully changing my heart, making me more patient, more intentional, more aware of how my daily choices either invite His presence into our home or create barriers to His work.
Professional Intersections: Serving in the Marketplace
My role in the private sector became another arena for divine intersections. What began as simply pursuing professional excellence evolved into recognizing my workplace as a mission field. God used ordinary business challenges to develop character, routine interactions with colleagues to practice grace under pressure, and everyday decisions to demonstrate integrity in a world that often operates by different principles.
These weren’t earth-shattering moments. They were consistent opportunities to let God change my motivations, priorities, and responses. Through difficult bosses in corporate America, challenging performance reviews of associates, and clients who require extra grace, He shaped me into a professional who could represent His kingdom with authenticity and excellence.
Community Leadership: School Board Service
One of the most unexpected “donkeys” involves local school board service. What started as a genuine interest in being involved with my children’s K-12 education journey became a divine appointment with civic and community responsibility. Over the past thirteen years, as the now elder of the board, through countless hours of budget meetings, curriculum reviews, and community forums, all profoundly ordinary tasks, God has been teaching me about servant leadership.
This role has provided numerous intersections where faith meets public service. Navigating controversial decisions with grace, advocating for policies that reflect biblical values without imposing them, and building bridges across ideological divides have all become opportunities for God to refine my character and expand my influence.
The beauty of this calling is its ordinariness. Most school board meetings involve mundane administrative tasks, yet God has used this platform to develop my skills in listening, discernment, and peaceful conflict resolution. Each interaction with parents, teachers, and community members becomes a chance to demonstrate the love of Christ in practical, tangible ways.
The Power of Godly Mentors
Throughout this journey, Dr. Evans’ wisdom about having people who won’t let you quit has proven invaluable. Like Saul’s servant who encouraged him not to turn back, I’ve been blessed with spiritually-minded individuals who refuse to let me just talk about “donkeys” without bringing God’s perspective into the conversation.
These faithful mentors have been instrumental in helping me recognize divine intersections I might have otherwise missed. During seasons when my marriage was at risk, they reminded me to keep pursuing forgiveness, reconciliation, and growth. When fatherhood challenges seemed overwhelming, they encouraged perseverance. When professional disappointments tempted cynicism, they helped me see God’s greater purposes.
Embracing the Heart Operation
The most profound truth from Dr. Evans’ message has been understanding that destiny and transformation are inseparable. As he explained from 1 Samuel 10, when you reach the right intersection at the right time, “God changes your heart.” This isn’t just a positional change. It’s a fundamental alteration of desires, motivations, and character.
Over these thirteen years, I’ve given God permission to perform multiple heart operations. There have been seasons where I had to surrender my desire to control outcomes in my marriage, learning instead to trust God’s timing and methods. Other periods required embracing vulnerability as a father, admitting my mistakes to my children, and modeling repentance rather than perfection.
Each transformation prepared me for the next intersection, the next divine appointment. I’ve learned that if God can’t change you, He can’t use you. The key is giving Him complete freedom to work through natural circumstances while remaining moldable in His hands.
Divine Timing in Ordinary Moments
Reflecting on this journey, I can testify to what Dr. Evans emphasized about God’s perfect timing. He truly is “an on-time God” who may not come when we want Him, but is always there precisely when needed. His timing has been evident in:
- Marriage breakthroughs that came after seasons of patient growth and prayer
- Parenting insights that arrived exactly when specific challenges emerged with our children
- Professional opportunities that opened just as previous positions reached their purpose
- Community service calls that aligned perfectly with both personal growth and civic need
- Spiritual revelations that provided clarity during periods of confusion or doubt
The Ongoing Chase
Today, I continue to chase donkeys with renewed faith and a deeper understanding. I pursue the ordinary responsibilities before me … loving my wife sacrificially, parenting with intentionality, serving professionally with integrity, leading in the community with wisdom … while watching expectantly for God’s continued intersections.
This is my ongoing testimony, inspired by Dr. Evans’ profound insight: when we allow God to work through the ordinary and give Him permission to transform us, He orchestrates intersections that lead us exactly where He wants us to be. The donkeys we chase today in our marriages, families, careers, and communities are preparing us for the destiny He has planned for tomorrow.
The journey continues, and I’m grateful to serve a God who specializes in turning ordinary obedience into extraordinary purpose. Every day presents new opportunities to chase donkeys faithfully. Whether it’s having a difficult conversation with my spouse, teaching my children through everyday moments, serving colleagues with excellence, or advocating for community values, I know that each step of obedience brings me closer to the fullness of what He has planned.
As Dr. Evans so beautifully articulated, God has already been to our destiny and come back. He’s simply walking alongside us until we arrive there. My prayer is to stay close, remain teachable, and keep chasing whatever donkeys He places before me, trusting that His intersections are leading me toward the man, husband, father, and servant He’s designed me to become.
MindWolves 