Saints are neither the imagined characters of fables written long ago, nor are they perfect and sinless human beings who have little or no relevance to the lives we live today. Saints are always real people who lived real lives, often filled with the very same flaws and confusion that plague all of us. But the difference between them and us is that they lived their lives in absolute surrender to God. They understood and believed with certainty that God exists; that Jesus Christ is the savior of the world; that the Holy Spirit is the one and only path to sanctification; and that they must live out the will of God for their lives or perish for eternity in death.
In a similar way, saints knew all-too-well that a life lived for the one, true God is also a life filled with great tribulation. From the merely human struggle that came from those around them who did not want them to dedicate their lives to God, to the actual forces of evil physically attacking them, emotionally berating them, and spiritually causing them to doubt – the saints saw first-hand how serious and sober the struggle is between heaven and hell.
Simply put, evil exists; evil surrounds us; and evil tries to influence us. And in order to become a saint, each of us must suffer through the tribulation that comes from rejecting that evil in all of its forms. As it says in the Book of Revelation:
"These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple; and he who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:14-17).
Do you want to wipe every tear from your eyes? Then decide to commit each day to live a little bit more like a saint.