Yesterday, I talked about holy moments:
A Holy Moment is a moment when you open yourself to God. You make yourself available to him. You set aside what you feel like doing in that moment, and you set aside self-interest, and for one moment you simply do what you prayerfully believe God is calling you to do in that moment. – Matthew Kelly, The Biggest Lie, chapter 7
Matthew Kelly claims we can change the world with enough holy moments, but I wrote yesterday that even if we can’t, we can certainly change our corner of the world.
That said, let’s go back to the original premise and look at an illustration that makes changing the world through holy moments more plausible.
We haven’t had a lot of snow here in Monument, Colorado, this year, and many times I’ve gone out to my driveway (I like a snow-free driveway) and swept what appeared to be a minuscule amount – as little as a 1/2-inch sometimes. I think to myself, “This is no problem. It’s cold, the snow is dry, I can sweep it right off in no time.”
I’m always amazed, however, at how the snow accumulates when I push it to the edges of the driveway. It’s an appreciable amount of snow! Six inches or more when piled up in one place, and it requires shoveling to get it off the driveway and into the yard. That tiny little bit of snow wasn’t so tiny after all. Those snowflakes add up! And in major snowstorms that many parts of the country have had, it’s A LOT of snowflakes, and they really do add up!
Maybe our holy moments seem as insignificant as that many snowflakes, but enough of them…?
I am trying to discipline myself to do the small things.
- We’re commanded to pray for our leaders, for example:
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2.1, 2, NIV)
- Can I turn the news, say, about the war against Ukraine into prayers?
- When I read about the craziness in our culture, can I turn that into a prayer?
If enough of us were to do that, wouldn’t it make a difference?
If enough of us stopped participating in the vitriol of social media and maybe published some positive stories, would that eventually make a difference?
And, of course, we continue to practice the holy moments in our corner of the world: serving, smiling, loving our neighbors…
I don’t know all the specifics, but if we each had our antenna up for opportunities for holy moments, we could change the world…again. If you’re a believer in Jesus, you are the fruit of a movement that started with 120 people in a backwater of the Roman Empire. 120! “Only 120.” Today, every building in Rome, the city that executed the Apostle Paul and countless other believers…every building in that city has a cross on it.
Therefore from one man [Abraham], and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. (Hebrews 11.12, 13, ESV)
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. (Philippians 2.14 – 15, ESV)