“You shall be holy to me; for I the Lord am holy, and I have separated you from the other peoples to be mine.” (Leviticus 20:26)

Growing up, I learned that holiness was all about things you don’t do.  I was told that to be holy I couldn’t smoke or drink or swear.  If I wanted to be really holy I shouldn’t dance or play cards or go to movies.  As you might expect, I decided that I’d rather give up holiness than a lot of the things that seemed like more fun than being holy.

Even long after I realized that holiness didn’t have a lot to do with avoiding all the no-no’s that I learned as a boy, I still thought of holiness as a project I had to work on.  Instead of giving things up, I came to think that being holy was about taking things on.

To be holy I started reading scripture regularly and praying daily for myself and for the people I loved.  I made it a habit to listen to Christian music and to read Christian literature.  I resolved to not skip church without a good reason. 

In time, I saw that my holiness was not just personal and private.  If I wanted to pursue holiness I had to pursue justice and peace for all people.  It dawned on me that to be holy I had to advocate for the poor, for the refugees, for the forgotten and the homeless wherever they might be.

Avoiding bad habits, being disciplined in prayer and worship and study, and being active in the world on behalf of the little ones are all good things to do, but these things don’t make us holy.

It’s not what you do that makes you holy, it’s what you allow to be done to you.

To be holy we have to give up our whole life to God – to be holy is to be wholly submitted to God. 

Prayer:  Lord, I belong to you.  Direct me in all my ways this day; make me wholly yours.  Amen.