Be holy in all you do 

1 Peter 1:15 “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do”

When do you feel holy? I’m not sure I ever feel particularly holy, but I might think of times like when I go to church, when I’m singing a worship song, or when I’m praying.  These feel like holy things to do.   But in this verse from 1 Peter it says we should be holy in ALL we do! Whilst I love going to church (whether that is in the church building or through my computer), and singing worship songs and praying, I have other things I need to do each day.  And some of these things don’t feel holy at all, like cleaning or sorting laundry!

But what does it mean to be holy? The Hebrew word for holy means “set apart” or “other”. Certainly, when I go to church or pray I am intentionally setting apart that time to spend it with God.  But what about the rest of the time? I was recently reminded of Brother Lawrence.  Brother Lawrence was a monk who focused on finding God in all aspects of life, in each of his daily tasks, no matter how small or menial.  He wrote a book called “The Practice of the Presence of God” which gives his reflections, and he found that the more we see everything as being for and with God, then the more we are aware of His constant presence. He could find God in the simple tasks of working in the kitchen or repairing sandals! 

Maybe today you could try to see one of your ordinary, daily tasks as holy or “set apart” for God. Perhaps that is through remembering that all we have comes from God.  Or perhaps it is through seeing a metaphor like remembering how God cleans us from sin as we do the washing up, or how God transforms and makes things new as we do some DIY, or how God created order from chaos as we sort the laundry! With God, even the most boring of chores might become a holy and transforming experience!