This Becoming Gift Segment discusses the importance of small acts of self-denial, emphasizing how minor, consistent actions can lead to meaningful spiritual growth. It highlights research on self-control, shares personal examples, and encourages focusing on developing virtues to overcome concrete struggles rather than grand gestures unrelated to day-to-day life.

Key Takeaways

* Small acts of self-denial strengthen the willpower muscle.

* Grand gestures can sometimes mask ego or avoidance.

* Simple acts like not salting food or giving up the plans in our head can be powerful.

Links

Andrew’s Substack

Physically Spiritual Podcast

Morning Offering

Essay

During Lent, Catholics may be tempted to pursue dramatic gestures of fasting and sacrifice, imitating something from the life of a saint, or following the latest influencer’s challenge. Yet, if you are anything like me, these grand plans often falter before Laetare Sunday. Smaller gestures carried out faithfully have more lasting impact: small, consistent acts of self-denial can shape the heart rather than impress the world.

When the prophet Samuel seeks a king to replace Saul, God warns, “Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. God does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The LORD looks into the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7). Though David was handsome (cf. 1 Samuel 16: 12), God’s choice rested not on outward impressiveness but on inner character. God isn’t looking for grand gestures, He is looking for hearts like His own.

Scientific research echoes this ancient wisdom. A 2010 study by Mark Muraven found that participants who practiced small, unrelated acts of self-control—improving posture, keeping a food journal, or noting their mood—developed greater stamina when later faced with a demanding test of willpower (source). The “willpower muscle,” grows through modest, repeated effort, not through isolated heroic feats. This finding aligns beautifully with the Catholic understanding of virtue: character is formed in the faithful repetition of small choices.

Grand gestures carry a potentially unrecognized risk: they can become a subtle form of avoidance. A person may fast dramatically yet still scroll endlessly on their phone, ignore the dishes in the sink, or cling rigidly to personal plans. A forty-day fast can feed the ego, leaving untouched the everyday foibles that actually hinder love of God and neighbor. Small, faithful acts that address vice and overcome attachments have the potential to transform our lives.

These small denials may feel insignificant, yet their cumulative effect is profound. They strengthen the will, root out hidden selfishness, and train the heart to say “yes” to whatever the Lord places before us in the present moment. In a culture that prizes visible achievement, Lent invites the opposite, hidden fidelity.

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