“Sanctify to Me every firstborn …”
(Shemos 13:2)

In his sefer Ohr Rashaz the Alter of Kelm (Rav Simchah Zissel Ziv) quotes a letter he sent (seemingly to Baron Rothschild).
“I am writing to thank your exalted honor to give thanks and to bless you for all the kindnesses you constantly do for Hashem’s flock by choosing to follow the advice of the Holy One Blessed is He: ‘Choose life.’
“Do not suspect me chas v’shalom of seeking my own benefit; Heaven forbid I should do that. But in my humble opinion I am obligated to give thanks to you and to bless you for the wonderful things you do for Klal Yisrael for when a person as respected as you stands before kings and upholds the fortress of our religion the ordinary people take note and learn from you. That is a great kiddush Hashem which you have brought about and spread throughout the world and your reward will be very great.” (Ohr Rashaz from the Alter of Kelm)
Baron Rothschild (1845–1934) one of the wealthiest men in the world made enormous financial donations toward the settlement of Eretz Yisrael in part as a response to violence against Jews in Europe during the late 19th century.
We know that prior to the sin of the eigel the firstborn Jews were meant to be the Kohanim. What made them worthy of this? In Mitzrayim they did not do anything special. On the contrary it was Hashem Who was kind to them when He passed over the homes of the Jewish people (where the Jewish firstborn lived) while He killed the Egyptian firstborns.
Nevertheless since they were the vehicles for a kiddush Hashem even though it didn’t entail any action on their part that was reason enough for them to be sanctified as Hashem’s Kohanim. And if a person who never intended to bring about a kiddush Hashem is rewarded so greatly how much more so does a person who intentionally creates a kiddush Hashem — whether with his property or his actions — create tremendous sanctity within himself?
Even more incredibly the Torah says “It happened when Pharaoh refused to send us out that Hashem slew every firstborn in the Land of Egypt from the firstborn of man to the firstborn of animals; therefore I am sacrificing to Hashem all the firstborn males of the womb and every firstborn among my sons I shall redeem.” We see that even an animal which performed no virtuous action and had no positive intentions nevertheless was sanctified simply because it was the vehicle for a kiddush Hashem. (ibid.)
The firstborn Jews did nothing at all. They lay down in their beds on that fateful night and they arose in the morning alive and healthy. Their survival showed the entire world that what had happened that night hadn’t simply been some strange disease that attacked the firstborn rather it was the Hand of Hashem Who had distinguished between the Egyptian firstborns and those of the Jews. This caused a great kiddush Hashem in the world and because of this the Jewish firstborn were designated to be the ones to serve in the Beis Hamikdash — all because their tranquil sleep brought honor to Hashem.
And how much more is this true for us! We do not have a palace like Baron Rothschild’s and no one is sending us such thrilling letters of thanks. We have normal homes normal children normal salaries and normal free will yet we still bring honor to Hashem in public every moment of the day.
Who taught our children to say modeh ani in the mornings thanking Hashem for their souls? Who trained them to say “Baruch Hashem” every time someone asks “How are you?” Who says Krias Shema with them every night making sure that they accept Hashem’s Kingship at the conclusion of the day? We aren’t just passive vehicles for kiddush Hashem; we create it!
Because of us many more Jewish children recognize Hashem as the King. Because of us many more children know the world has a Creator. And His Name is honored and sanctified all day long in our homes.
Certainly our reward will be great.