Whoever feels he’s living a life not his own is probably thinking in a limited, earthly way. He should change his way of thinking. If he truly believed in God, he would understand that it’s God who gives us courage and the help necessary to develop our talents. Each of us has talent. Whoever thinks he doesn’t have talent, hasn’t learned to look within himself. It’s necessary to beg Our Lord from the bottom of our hearts to enable us to understand better and to see more clearly. Almost all our lives are based, even unwittingly, on fear – in order to defend ourselves. We’re afraid to live. Our souls tell us, though, that life is a wide-open field of infinite possibilities. Faith in God heals, makes us whole, and produces abundant fruit.
SOME BIBLICAL REFERENCES
For those who want to go deeper and meditate on these reflections, the Bible says many other things about them.
ON COURAGE
(Deuteronomy 31:6) “Be strong, stand firm, have no fear, do not be afraid of them, for Yahweh your God is going with you; he will not fail you or desert you.”
ON GIFTS AND TALENTS
(Genesis 1:27) “God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.”
(Romans 12:5-8) “Since the gifts that we have differ according to the grace that was given to each of us: if it is a gift of prophecy, we should prophesy as much as our faith tells us; if it is a gift of practical service, let us devote ourselves to serving; it is teaching, to teaching; if it is encouraging, to encouraging. When you give, you should give generously from the heart; if you are put in charge, you must be conscientious; if you do works of mercy, let it be because you enjoy doing them.”
ON FAITH (which gives courage and blocks or diminishes fear) and ON FRUIT AND FECUNDITY
(Mark 4:40) “Then he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened? Have you still no faith?’”
(Galatians 5:22, 23) “On the other hand the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control.”