More Ordinary

Proverbs 12:9 “Better to be an ordinary person with a servant than to be self-important but have no food.” (NLT) What if one of the greatest benefits of artificial intelligence is that it can help us become more ordinary? Not more impressive. Not more artificial. Not even more important. More ordinary. Proverbs 12:9 says: “It’s better to be an ordinary person with some help than to look important while quietly lacking what you need.” In the ancient world, having a servant gave you extra capacity. Somebody could handle necessary work behind the scenes, so you could focus on what mattered most. Today, ordinary people have access to extraordinary assistance. I regularly work with ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI tools. They help me research ideas, organize information, develop documents, and handle details that used to take me hours. That might sound futuristic, but what I really want is wonderfully ordinary: To have time to play with my grandson. To sit beside a patient. To create music. To talk with my wife. To rest. AI doesn’t have to replace our humanity. Used well, it can give time back to our humanity. That’s the surprise inside this proverb. The person getting help doesn’t use it to look more important. They stay ordinary. The help just gives them more room to live well. Some people have let fear, religious noise, or unfamiliarity keep them from exploring these tools. We need healthy caution. AI can be inaccurate, biased, or misused. But we should never hand over our conscience, creativity, or judgment to it. But caution should teach us how to use a tool wisely—not keep us from learning what it can do. The ego says, “I must do everything myself.” Wisdom asks, “What assistance is already available?” Let technology handle what it can, so you can stay available for what only a human can give: compassion, presence, purpose, play, and love. The future may not belong to the person who looks most important. It may belong to the ordinary person who wisely accepts extraordinary assistance—and uses it to become even more beautifully human. 🔥 REMEMBER Use extraordinary tools to create room for an ordinary human life. 🙏🏽 PRAYER God, help me use every tool without surrendering my humanity. 🎯 TODAY’S CHALLENGE Choose one repetitive task technology can help you handle. Use the time you get back for something deeply human. About the Author Fred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch 📱 Experience Proverbs Daily by Subscribing! Ready to receive daily wisdom directly on your phone? Go to proverbsdaily.org for the app or just click that Subscribe button right now! Get full access to Hey Fred Lynch! at heyfredlynch.substack.com/subscribe