That I see myself to be holy only heightens my desire to live a holy life.

A friend and I have talked a lot, in the last weeks, about holiness. Her congregation had a class in which the members were encouraged to seek to be holy. She is in a tradition that highlights becoming holy, deriving from the founder of the sect. I have said, with laughter, that I have no interest in being holy. One could say, "What?! and you are a Christian?!" Well, look at it this way, for a moment. I have no interest in being holy for I am holy, and you are holy. And how can we become what we already are? And, yet, also, being holy can rightly be seen to lead to becoming holy, for holiness is our natural beingness that is on a Journey to be practically what it fully is. In this sense we can affirm both "I am holy" and "I am devoting my life to being more holy." And this holiness has real practical applications as to how we treat others and how we treat ourselves. Therefore, we cannot simply use our knowning of our innate, natural innocence, purity, and holiness as an escape from the demands and accountability of making that real in our daily lives. That I see myself to be holy only heightens my desire to live a holy life.