Beyond Words

“Don’t worry about anything and have no anxiety.  Instead, tell God your needs and thank Him for His answers.”  Phil. 4:6-7

I have been doing a Holy Spirit bible study at church for the past few weeks and today He spoke to me loud and clear.

You see, for several months I’ve been contemplating volunteering more during the mass.  I see many of my friends serve as Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, and Hospitality Ministers and have been feeling the urge to do the same.  In many ways I don’t feel “qualified” to hand out Holy Communion but I do love to read and have no problem speaking in front of a crowd so maybe, I’ve thought, I should sign up to be a Lector and declare the Word of God during the mass.

Still, Hospitality Minister was screaming my name for some reason.  Kristen served as one during the Life Teen mass when she was in high school and I’ve always thought “I can do that!”  One of the wise and wonderful women in my long-time “friends” bible study works on stewardship in our church and I talked to her and the other ladies in the group when we met last week.  All suggested I should pray about it and listen for God’s discernment.

So, I have.  Even today as I entered church I thought to myself “I’m going to email the Liturgy Director at church and tell her to assign me wherever there is the greatest need.”  That’s it, I thought, it’s settled.  Let someone else settle it for me.

Until, that is, the Holy Spirit spoke at the end of mass.  Actually, it was Scott who heads up the Hospitality Ministry but through him I heard the Holy Spirit loud and clear.  Scott went on to say there is a current need for Hospitality Ministers and that’s all I needed to hear.  Bingo.  I’m all signed up!  As my bible study friend told me in a text when I told her, “That was the Holy Spirit at His best today.”  I couldn’t agree more.

Doing so also fulfills one of the suggestions on the “40 Things to Give Up for Lent” program I’m doing:  “Giving up Your Comfort Zones.”  I like the comfort of going to whatever mass I want on Sunday and sitting in our same spot.  Now, that won’t be the case but I’m ready to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Today was the second week in a row that mass served as a “gotcha” moment for my bible study.  The ladies and I had planned for months that for February we would study the Book of Job.  Then, when we realized our monthly get together fell on Ash Wednesday we contemplated doing a reading or lesson on Lent instead.  Until, Job was one of the readings in mass the preceding Sunday and many of us were experiencing “Job moments” in our lives and were in need of some comfort and support.  We hear you God and we thank you!

In a life full of distractions, decisions, and disappointments, it’s often hard to know where to go, where to turn, or even what to do.  It’s definitely challenging to hear the answers through all the noise, but if you slow down, shut down, and calm down, the answers are usually right there.  You just need to know where to look and who to turn to.