I’m often a person of extremes. If I eat a meal, it’s a feast; if I don’t eat, it’s for almost the whole day. I often treat my faith similarly.

I look to my faith to save what I find big and precious. I pray for God to solve life’s macro challenges: poverty, violence, hunger, environmental issues, etc. I expect faith to help “save” the world from big problems.

What I forget to realize is the profound impact a saving faith can have on one’s self in the smallest of ways. Focusing solely on the grandiose and external robs us of beautiful graces of faith acting in our daily routine—having faith in ourselves to do good, be good, and improve in all ways. The feast or famine model of one’s saving faith is better served this Lent with more scaffolding of the grace-filled spectrum.