I Sing a Song of the Saints of God

As you may or may not know, today is officially All Saints Day.  In the simplest of terms, it’s a day where we give thanks for all God’s children who have shaped our lives and given us hope.

When we think of saints, many people think of men and women whose “goodness quotient” is off the charts.  These are people who seem so much better than we are (think Mother Theresa)  that if that’s what being a saint is, most of us have the sneaking suspicion we’re never going to make it.

Or perhaps we think of people who are just plain weird, who have done things that seem strange or even bizarre to us (like running off into the desert, engaging in strict ascetic practices, or living alone in a cave).  In this regard, the idea of being a saint can seem undesirable.

But in the oldest Christian traditions, the ones most directly shaped by Jesus, a saint was simply an ordinary everyday person like you or like me who, in being faithful to God, was enabled to love others in extraordinary ways.  They were not perfect, and often had their quirks and idiosyncrasies.  But they did care about people enough to devote themselves, with God’s help, to be bold in changing the World That Is into The World That Was Meant to Be.

I do thank God for the saints in my life; for the people who have loved me through thick and thin, who have stuck with me even when there was no good reason to do so (and sometimes good reason not to), who have believed in me even when I could no longer believe in myself, and who even in the passing of years and accumulation of miles between us have not forgotten me.

In them I have caught glimpses of the depths of God’s love, and have experienced the unparalleled beauty of His grace.  Some I love but see no longer; others are still very much a part of my life.  Both groups, however, are remembered this day, and held dear in my heart.

Comments

[mindy]

So now, thank you for putting the song "For all the Saints" into my head.

The only frustrating part is trying to remember all the words, but thankfully, there are at least three hymnals within an arms reach.

Thank you! I'd forgotten to think of the saints today.