Some encouraging and empowering news was spoken long ago by St. Francis of Assisi: "Preach the Gospel at all times--if necessary, use words!" This saint's counsel unravels any excuse you will offer to justify any hesitation to be an active messenger of the Easter News.
The power and the promise of the Gospel is embedded in your heart. When you trust the Gospel message (even in the midst of any doubts or fears you may have) your actions emerge as a testimony that points others to Christ. As a result of your desire and your intention to center your focus upon Christ, you are grounded in Him....rooted in Him, as if a tap root or anchor was securing and directing your life in the midst of all that comes your way.
It doesn't matter whether the "others" know anything about Jesus or not.... when you are rooted in Christ, the way you are in their presence will serve as a response to any questions or curiosity they may have about Jesus, Christianity, and why "we" behave as we do. As a result, all that you DO, even the way you walk through the world addressing your own personal situations, will proclaim the news that Christ is risen from the dead!
Try this exercise again(we tried it last year, too!) Try talking while you are inhaling. You can make an audible sound, perhaps, while you breathe in, but most likely you can't "articulate" in any understandable fashion. In order to take in breath....breath of God....life giving....nourishing....healing....you have to stop talking. So as Jesus is bestowing upon you His breath...of peace...simply take it in!
Then, perhaps....from time to time, as you exhale with words (if necessary) you are communicating in the spirit and way that Christ has provided....words of truth, of love, of forgiveness and reconciliation.
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