Sainthood lies in the habit of referring the smallest actions to God. - C. S. Lewis
Most of us who are Christians want to be saints, those people of immense holiness who do amazing things for God. We are righteously “jealous” of such people, but we do not know how to be such people. As this quote from C.S. Lewis indicates, the pathway to sainthood is found in the grind of every day life and being willing in the midst of that grind, to continually submit everything to God –even the smallest small things. This idea reminds me of the of the quote from Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu,
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Christ put it this way:
“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” Luke 16:10.
Just like a parent will slowly give a child more and more responsibility and freedom as they demonstrate their ability to handle it, God will give us more and more responsibility in His kingdom work. If we want to do great things for God, we need to be willing to submit the mundane to God. If we want to be a saint, we need to be begin with the small things.
This concept contains the element of Christ permeating everything in our lives, of dying to ourselves. As we willingly die to self, Christ's reign becomes more evident in our lives. It is then, and only then, that God will be able to use us in great ways.
I think part of the lesson lies in the word "habit" as well. We cannot live life in the big things every day. The small things speak to consistency and character. Are we living by grace or only through momentary bursts of our own efforts?
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