I live a very cushy life.
Warm bed. Approving husband. Adorable dog. Job that I love.
By no means is this a bad thing, nor should I be ashamed of these blessings. But, I have often pondered how hard it is going to be to become a saint. For there are so many things in my day that I am tempted to idolize, and in turn neglect the one who deserves all of my love. I may not be rich, but I am not poor.
It is so easy to hear St. Paul’s words of ambition, “to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named,” but where He is not known, and become discouraged that my life is nothing like St. Paul’s. How in the world then can I become a saint? I mean the man was killed because of his proclamation of Christ. I don’t have his courage; I don’t have his mission.
But, I do…
It just looks different.
I have the courage to hold tight to my belief when family members directly speak against it, and have the courage to continue to love them. I have the courage to speak candidly about God with those that I do not know well, but ask what I do for a living. I have the courage to live out the Sacrament of Marriage in a country that simply doesn’t see the point. I have the courage to trust that God has a plan for my life and for my eternity.
So, now the question becomes: What then is my mission?
And this is where I must be challenged even more. To push out of my comfort zone and bring Christ to those who need Him. For so long, I misunderstood this, and thought the only way I could accomplish preaching His name was by waving my arms on the street and yelling out His gospel. Not surprisingly, this is untrue.
I realized recently that my mission – to preach where Christ has not been named – is my Monday nights teaching RCIA, to teens who have no clue who this man is. What is a comfortable conversation among friends becomes a hard teaching to these young souls. (Thanks to God being all mysterious and multi-dimensional and all – so not easy to explain, and well, be taken seriously.) And (hopefully soon) my mission will be my children – raising them in a home that knows Jesus and praises Him for all that He has done.
My mission is my home. It is my work. It is my family. And even if it doesn’t look as “radical” as St. Paul’s, that doesn’t make it any less important.
What is your mission? It may not look identical to St. Paul’s, or be as seemingly “radical,” but you, too, have been commissioned with a task only you can fulfill. Take some time to prayerfully discover what your mission is and pray that the Lord may continue to reveal it in your own life.
