“The tiniest things we do, the most careless words we say, the smallest act of kindness towards another person—all these things actually count. We live in God’s world. From God’s perspective, there’s nothing we do that’s outside his concern or gaze.”

How can I light a fire and get you engaged and active in wanting to grow when you don’t really seem that interested? You’re “eh,” “meh,” and “whatever.” What could shake you out of apathy and indifference? What could shake you out of plodding along through life, going through the motions in your Christianity?

There’s no magic answer of course. But let me share a couple of things that I’ve found that have affected my own lethargy and apathy. First of all, I often look at myself in light of the seven deadly sins. (These are actually the seven daily sins, things that are endemic to what it means to be a human being!) The one that always gets me is sloth (Latin: acedia). Sloth doesn’t just mean you’re just sitting around watching TV all day, popping bonbons. Sloth also means indifference. Feeling apathetic. Sloth says, “I don’t really care. It doesn’t matter. What’s the use? Whatever.” It’s a pretty accurate characteristic of the modern era, a mild cynicism that questions whether or not anything really matters.

The thing is, everything actually does matter. It matters a whole lot. The tiniest things we do, the most careless words we say, the smallest act of kindness towards another person—all these things actually count. We live in God’s world. From God’s perspective, there’s nothing we do that’s outside his concern or gaze.

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