I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within
you…for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice,
but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-
discipline. (II Timothy 1:5, 6, 7)
Movie actor Tommy Lee Jones was being interviewed about his work. He said, “It’s not up to me to decide what the character does. My job is to play the character in the way the director wants to see.” My job and yours, as those who follow Christ, is not to write our own script. Our job is to play our character in the way our Lord wants to see. As Wesley put it, we are no longer our own, but His. He is the Director.
When we were baptized we were blessed with gifts of the Holy Spirit suitable to our ministry. (Read I Corinthians 12) God does not ask us to do anything that we are not also enabled to do. Our task is to faithfully use what we’ve been given. To rekindle and maximize the gift that is within us. Not someone else’s gift. Ours.
Debatable in some theological circles, suppose one day we stand before God in judgment to be accountable for our life. I am confident God will not say, “Why were you not Mother Teresa?” or “Why were you not Saint Francis?” Rather, God will ask, “Why were you not you? I didn’t create you to be someone else. I created you to be you.”
When black ash is marked on your forehead today reminding you of your mortality, begin again to rekindle the gift that is within you. Ask God to remind you what it is and to make you strong. To fill you with love. To encourage your resolve to be self-disciplined. Ask God to help you play your Character in the way the Divine Director wants to see.
Steve Langhofer
Walking the Road
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