The Little List

He must increase, I must decrease.  John 3:30

Every once in a while I get overwhelmed about all the things I’m not getting right.  I can get lost in questions like; have I prayed enough, have I served enough, am I gentle, generous and merciful enough.  Then come the list of shortfalls; the times I judged when I should have loved or doubted instead of trusted or gossiped when I was called to understand or re-focus.  It would be easy to stay stuck in that funk and decide growing in holiness is just too hard but then I realize the evil one is at work in all these thoughts because the Father certainly doesn’t want me stuck in the mess.  I think he allows my thoughts to go there so I can acknowledge my shortfalls, ask forgiveness and invite  him to come blasting into my humanness and make me better.

After I pray my way through one of these funks I often think I need to charge out into the world and do some mighty good for God to make up for all my knuckle headed thoughts and actions.  I’ll often make a giant list of all the things I am going to change and fix and avoid completely.  Recently as I was plotting my giant moves toward holiness I came across this quote from St. Francis de Sales; “Great occasions for serving God seldom come, but little ones surround us daily.”  Talk about an abrupt hault.  I find God’s timing and humor amazing so I threw my giant list away and started a little one.

Growing in holiness means growing in humble service.  St. Francis reminded me that I’m not called to a life of contemplative prayer.  God isn’t asking me to build an orphanage or hospital or stamp out world hunger before bedtime.  He’s asking me to serve in tiny ways again and again and again.  So on my list of tiny things for the week I’ve added thing like being patient with slow drivers, pouring someone a second cup of coffee, saying hello first, texting or emailing at least one note of encouragement, letting someone go ahead of me in line and saying a quick prayer of blessing for anyone who irritates or inconveniences me.

Funny thing, as I began to pray with my list of little things, I could already feel the thoughts shifting from me and all my stuff, to others.  I suppose that is exactly what we’re supposed to do and I’m quite grateful to St. Francis and the words he wrote more than 400 years ago for putting things in perspective.

A Seed To Plant:  Write down these words from St. Francis de Sales and begin to make your own list of little things to do this week.

Blessings on your day!