When I was newly married, I remember hearing of a kitchen appliance called a salad spinner.
Having used a plain old colander all my life, I was intrigued to learn the benefits of this little appliance that dried your lettuce so well that the salad dressing would stick.
At one point I thought it would be novel to acquire either a hand crank-operated or a push-pump salad spinner, but to this day and 25 years later, I remain content that our simple plastic colander performs the required task well enough.
It’s a simple lesson one can apply exteriorly as well as interiorly: Aspire toward greatness, but in the meantime do your best with the means God gave you.
Aspire to holiness
Isn’t the same true for us as children of God learning to grow closer to Him?
Sometimes we might be tempted to get discouraged, reading the works of the saints, who achieved a holiness seemingly beyond our comprehension and our reach.
Consider, for instance, the beautiful soul of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who never committed a mortal sin in her life.
Hers is a holiness so pure it seems unattainable, yet at the same time her “Little Way” is accessible to all.
“My heart is filled to the brim with the Will of Our Lord, so that nothing else can find place there, but glides across like oil over tranquil waters.
“If my heart were not already full and room were left for passing feelings of joy and sadness, then bitterness would flood in, but such transitory feelings scarcely ruffle the surface of my soul; a peace that nothing can disturb reigns in its depths” (The Story of a Soul, p. 211).
What she describes is precisely what I want, yet I cannot hope to attain this level of holiness because I am still too attached to earthly things, people, emotions, (and fill in the blank).
Be a good colander
However, even though St. Thérèse’s cup “filled to the brim” with God’s will is something to which I can only aspire, I can at least aim to be a good colander instead.
I may still be touched by things of this earth — distractions, difficulties, etc. — but I can let all of it wash off of me and drain away, while the colander of my heart holds steadily onto my budding love for Our Lord, which results in the graces yielding His peace, mercy, and gentleness.
This love for Him is what I hang onto with all my mind, strength, heart, and soul, preserving at the center of my being only what matters, while allowing all else to wash over me and drain away.
Focus on love for Him
At a human level — spiritually still a tiny child learning to comprehend what it means to love Our Lord — I cannot realistically hope to be completely untouched by earthly things.
But, like any plain old colander, I can aim to focus on the only thing that matters while all else drains away. This is how I can focus on Him, love Him, and hope to learn to recognize His will more readily.
First comes love for Our Lord, then all else follows.
Even though I can only dream of turning my heart into a cup filled to the brim with God’s will, for now, my plain old colander heart will suffice.
At present, it’s the best I have.
Julianne Nornberg, mother of four, works at St. John School in Waunakee and the Cathedral of St. Bernard of Clairvaux in Madison.