Saints

I was recently reading an article called "The Seven Characteristics of Saints". As I read these words I automatically thought (and the article confirmed),of people who had been canonized by the Catholic Church. Those who are held forth by the Catholic Church, prayed to and celebrated. But then it occurred to me (wonder where that came from?), the Bible refers to us...living, breathing Christians as saints! If you Google any one of the Bible search engines on the Internet and type in the word "saints" you'll see what I mean (Psalm 31:23, Psalm 85:8, Romans 1:7, Ephesians 1:1 to name a few).

I went back and read the characteristics again with that mind set...if I am a saint of God, these are things I should do...see what you think.
1. Saints live from the center: They have integrity about them because every decision or action comes from their having said yes to God.
2. Saints would rather be faithful than safe: When questioned how she could keep comforting the dying when she rarely ever saved a life, Mother Teresa said, "God did not call me to be successful. God called me to be faithful."
3. Saints don't give up easily: "She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day" (Luke 2:37)
4. Saints are joyful even in tough times: Think of Paul urging the Philippians to rejoice with him while he was locked in prison!
5. Saints are visionaries: They rarely see things as they are but see them as they could be.
6. Saints are daring: They attempt to act out their dreams.
7. Saints are prayerful: Part of each day is spent in conversation with God.

Do you live the life of a saint? I don't mean this to be another set of "rules" to live by...just some guidelines to help keep you on the path. The "saints" of this world are evidence that one person can make a difference...it can be you! (Characteristics from an article by Kathleen Stephens)