The biggest mistake that most of us make about God, the one that most consistently undermines our peace of soul is the idea that God demands a lot of us. More than fragile beings like ourselves could ever give.
Such a God is frightening.
God, in reality, is content with the little we can give because God knows and accepts the little that we have.
We need to do just three things:
- Do the best we can to find and honour God in everything we do
- Do whatever, however little we can to live this way
- Let God do the rest
If we follow these simple rules, we will not be disturbed. We will not be anxious. We will have no need to fear a God who never asks of us more than we can give.
– St. Francis de Sales
Through this passage, I have come to realize the danger that lies when we start thinking that in order to please God we have to tire ourselves out. The more things we’re doing at any given point, the more we’re making Him happy. We tend to forget that it’s not the amount of things we busy ourselves with but rather, what satisfies Him the most is when (as the passage says) we wholeheartedly and completely offer the little that we have and let Him transform it into something great for His glory.
* The passage above is taken from a book I’m currently reading called Set Your Heart Free. It contains select passages and texts from St. Francis de Sales’ writings and it encourages readers to find God in all that they do during the day despite the hectic schedule they might have.