"…I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God..." 2 Timothy 1:6

How often do we take the time to affirm the faith that we seen in others? I wish I would take the time to write to friends as Paul does to Timothy. The first reading is intimate and inspiring. Paul’s referring to Timothy’s as an extension of the love and faith of his family shows the closeness. Knowing Timothy’s mother and grandmother gives Paul the position to challenge Timothy to live out the faith that those two women demonstrated. He is reminding the community in his absence not to give up. Telling us to stir the ashes of our gifts into flames, to wake up and see their true value.

In thinking of how I live out God’s call, I think about the values which my family has instilled in me: love of family, faith and service. I have to remind my mom when I am leaving for a service trip to the Dominican Republic or Minnesota, as she is crying, that she was the one who taught me to care for others. My parents took me to deliver meals to elderly community members on weekends when I was little.

If we are to live as Jesus did, we might not just do acts of simple service, we might be called to do things which may draw crowds and get a lot of concern from our families. Jesus’ actions and fame had grown at this point in the gospel. People’s desire to be with him, to watch him was growing, but his family was worried that this was too dangerous. Jesus and the disciples couldn’t eat, a classic mother’s worry. Although they knew that he was doing the work of God, they wanted to protect him. I have to laugh thinking about bringing about salvation in a manner which did not upset societal norms and expectations; that did not draw crowds or inspire people- I am not sure what we would be saved from. Maybe that is the difference between letting our gifts burn down into ashes and stirring them into flames.