The Mission We've Been Given

Nine years ago, as of yesterday, I received the Sacrament of Confirmation.  Some pictures from that night popped up in my facebook memories and caused me to think about the sacrament.  As I look back and reflect on the years since, I recognize just how significant and important that special evening was and how much of an impact it has had.  If you know me, you know that I am not a loud and outgoing person.  But with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, He has helped me to share my faith, even if just in small, subtle ways.  And no matter what our personalities are or what obstacles and weaknesses we have, we are all tasked with sharing our faith with others and taking a stand for who Jesus is and what He has done in our lives.

At some points in our lives, we may have had a lot of fear around sharing our faith.  What will people think of us?  We might be seen as weird.  Will we lose friends?  We cannot let this fear and the temptation to conform with the rest of the world stop us from sharing what we believe and why.  It can be uncomfortable and may stretch us past what we think we are capable of.  But with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will be given the ability and desire to get out of our comfort zones and live our faith.

The key to sharing our faith is to rely on the Holy Spirit and ask Him daily to help us and increase in us the different gifts we need at different times.  We will definitely fail many times, but this is not a reason to stop or give up.  We must call upon the Holy Spirit and ask Him to help us again.  We must not let our weaknesses prevent us from living the lives Jesus calls us to and being who we were created to be.
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At Confirmation, we accepted a mission; to live as a witness to Jesus Christ in the world.  He is counting on us.  Every day that we wake up is another day we have to share Jesus with the people around us.  Sometimes it will be in big ways, but other times, it will be in small, quiet ways.  Whether it is in the words we speak, or in our actions and the way we live our lives, we have the opportunity to make Him known.  May we ask the Holy Spirit to increase His gifts in us and fill our hearts so that we would live out the mission we have said “yes” to.