St. Francis de Sales spent much time encouraging people to perform their daily actions in a way that pleases God.  People often try to accomplish this by seeking great acts to praise God. However, these great acts generally are nowhere to be found in one’s daily activities, without losing some other aspect.  

For instance, going out of your way to help a friend who is experiencing bad times when you yourself are hard pressed to fulfill your own personal obligations. Or someone who religiously spends hours helping prison inmates find a correct path through life, while forgetting about their own teenage sons at home who need their father’s love and attention. 

De Sales mentions that while great opportunities happen infrequently, we can find other ways to serve one another, while simultaneously managing our own duties attentively.   

Spiritual writers tell us that our lives are not defined by our big promises made to God during a needed conversion moment.  Our lives are better distinguished by the thousand little ways in which we are faithful in the ordinary acts fulfilled.   

Jesus spent much of his time explaining how little ways build sturdy viaducts of holiness. Lest we forget, Jesus gave us a simple formula when he said: love God, love your neighbor, and love yourself. With these words, Jesus nicely lays before us how to include others in our life.

Now Jesus knew this mandate might be troublesome. However, Jesus doesn’t clock how long we love another, but how well we spend our time trying. And if we do stumble, how easily and quickly we get up and try again. As long as we live and breathe, we have enough time to start again. 

In following Christ, faithfulness counts more than our life’s final day. All great achievements take time, that’s why each one has a lifetime to learn.

Each time a believer says “yes” to Jesus and seeks to build a piece of the kingdom no matter how small, Jesus is born again and again in our world, pushing sin farther and farther into the darkness.

Remember on the spiritual journey it’s not who you think you are that holds you back, but who you are not! (Anonymous)

Artwork: Bansky: Girl with balloon