Just Shine On

“The Lord measures our perfection neither by the multitude nor the magnitude of our deeds, but by the manner in which we perform them.”
~St. John of the Cross

Little things. Done with great love. How many saints have approached their journey towards Christ and holiness of life in this way? I would say the majority of them. In the course of their individual lives, many of them did indeed accomplish big things too. But it must be acknowledged that there were most likely many smaller actions that led to those big things, and smaller things that followed. We will never know how many actions remain undocumented. But more than anything else, this understanding is what the saints are known for: the manner in which they acted.

This is not to say that they lived perfect lives. Rather, many of them led lives that were imperfect just like ours. But they became known by reflecting the love of Christ to those around them, their actions held an impact.

Thus is the key to Christian life. While over the course of our life we will perform many actions, of varying degrees of seeming importance or lack thereof, the manner in which we complete them will always be taken into account by God. Actions taken with love, reflect the love Christ demonstrated to us and continues to offer to us every day.

Such an understanding takes time and requires humility. Living in this way demands much practice, and you won’t always be successful. But it is something to strive for, and it is worth it.

~Alexis Grace