Offer It Up, Buttercup

Ever feel like rolling your eyes at tropes about how to live holy? 

“Live here now.” How can I not? “Calgon, take me away” isn’t actually a magical phrase.

“Offer it up.” 😵‍💫 The headache is killing me; I’ll be popping some motrin, thanks, before I lose it with the people around me.

“Small things, great love.” I’m nowhere near being like Mother Teresa. This is much easier said than done, especially when I don’t “feel the love”.

etc.

I mean no disrespect at all for the saints.

It’s just that sometimes the “tips” rub me wrong the way. (maybe it’s me? there’s probably a character trait that needs work here.)

You know what I mean? I admit that there is wisdom in these sayings! They can be very helpful reminders. I also admit that they are, at times, annoying.

There are days that are a slog. Finding God and offering it all up can seem like just “a thing” for our brains to do while trying to convince our hearts that any of it matters. Maybe we’re trying to convince our brains, too.

The minutiae of daily life can really seem mundane and repetitive.

🕰️ But these minutes (minutiae, too) are the minutes that matter, even though we can’t see the big picture.

These circumstances––as mundane and average as they might be––are the exact circumstances God is using to mold us. 

He will use everything to make us holy.

But we need to ‘offer it up’ because He won’t force us, and He won’t take away our free will. We offer it up as an act of our will, a gesture of trust, a desire to be closer to Him.

God can’t use what we tight-fist.

On that note… fill in the blank. What phrase would you use to encourage others to live holy? I’d love to hear it!