Can Wimps Be Saints?



When I read some lives of the saints, I cringe at their desire for hardship and suffering. I feel like a wimp because I try to avoid any kind of pain or distress. After all, isn’t the gospel supposed to be good news and bring joy to people? Most spiritual writers tell us that ordinary life brings enough suffering without looking for more. So I am glad for medication that reduces pain and modern conveniences that make life easier. As I grow older with less energy and more aches, I am grateful for ways to cope with my diminishment.

I probably won’t be ranking among the highest order of saints who sought more intense discomfort, but surely there is a place for softer people, who keep going with a little help now and then. Why would God give humans the intelligence to discover ways of easier living if he did not want us to use them?  Can’t we pray better without pain or weariness to distract or weigh heavily on us? I’m probably just looking for ways to justify my “wimpiness,” but surely there's a place for mediocre saints. 
 

Dear Lord, help me to endure whatever life sends and unite my small sufferings to the agony that Christ bore for us. 

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