Can You Be a Saint?

Can you be a Christian saint? Is such a thing possible? If it is, would you want to be a saint? Curious? Read on.

So, what is a "saint" anyway?  According to E. Glenn Hinson, in his book Spiritual Preparation for Christian Leadership, a saint is not a perfect person, a saint is not mistake free, and a saint is not extraordinary. I know, I know, that's a list of what a saint isn't. But, what a saint is, simply put, is someone who is willing to yield to God's will. A saint is a person who is willing to put aside his or her wants and desires in favor of God's will. A saint is a person who uses her or his God given talents in ways God wants them used, or as Hinson states on page 182, "What matters is what God does with the capacities that people give over to God's use.

So, what do saints do? Here's the short list, without a lot of academic explanation.

1. Saints live lives that are soaked in God's Divine Grace and who put themselves at God's disposal.

2. Saints do not seek out lives that are safe, but lives that are faithful to God. If that means walking a more difficult path, so be it.

3. Saints are not given a pass by God on troubles. As William Russel Maltby states, "Jesus promised his followers only that they should be 'absurdly happy, entirely fearless, and always in trouble'."

4. Saints are ... and this is the really good one ... joyful. To be joyful, saints rejoice because the Lord is near. Spiritual joy fills their hearts. They are not the Christians St. Teresa of Avila prayed she might not encounter when she prayed, "deliver me from sour, vinegary Christians!"

5. Saints are dreamers of God's greatest dream, seeking after, working for, and praying for the Kingdom of God to come to Earth. Saints are daring in striving for this special Kingdom (a different post to come later).

6. Saints are also prayerful. They make themselves open to the ever-present love of God. Saints stay in communication with God to be uplifted and to better know God's will for their lives.

So, there you have it. That's what it takes to be a Christian saint in a nutshell. Can you do it? Will you do it? This might be the most important and life changing decision you ever make.

God bless you on your journey!