Vessel & Altar

"The Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say." - Luke 12:12

Jesus tells his followers, Sister, not to rehearse in advance what they'll say if they're ever brought before authorities for their faith. The Spirit will give the words when they're actually needed, not before. Today is the memorial of Ignatius of Antioch, a bishop marched in chains toward martyrdom, writing letters the whole way rather than waiting until he felt ready.

You are being filled so that something can be set on the table.

Most women rehearse the hard conversation for days before having it, the boundary that needs setting, the honest word a friend needs to hear, the apology owed but not yet given. Preparation has its place. It's also possible to let more preparing become a permanent excuse for never actually saying the thing.

Ignatius wrote his most enduring words from inside real danger, not from the safety of advance planning. Whatever conversation you've been rehearsing indefinitely is almost certainly smaller than what he faced, and the same trust applies to it: the words will be there when you actually need them.

Paul's first reading asks that the eyes of your heart be enlightened, so you can actually see what hope you've been called to. Sometimes the endless rehearsal is really a way of avoiding that clearer sight, staying in the planning stage because the actual seeing feels like more than you're ready for.

Name the conversation you've been rehearsing instead of having. Set a real day this week to actually have it. Go in with less scripting than usual, and trust the words will come.

Lord, give me the words when I need them, not before. Free me from using preparation as an excuse to keep waiting. Amen.