Friday. March 14 2 Timothy 1:7

For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline

GIFT OF SPIRIT

I love word games and puzzles. Each day I do the New York Times Wordle, Mini-Crossword, Strands, Connection and Spelling Bee. (Admittedly, I find the Spelling Bee puzzle to be the most difficult.) I love these games because I enjoy playing with words and their meaning. The author of today`s reflective verse, I suspect, feels the same.

The passage focuses on God`s gift of spirit. As Christians we know the word spirit has two meanings. One: the nonphysical part of a person; the seat of emotions and character. Two: the Holy Spirit, the part of the Holy Trinity that sanctifies us before God. I suspect the author is playing a little word game and is using each definition simultaneously and interchangeably.

American identity focuses strongly on individualism. We believe that with hard work and determination we can achieve wonderful things. Many men and women over the past two-plus centuries have proven this point. Therefore we will read this passage literally and focus on our individual conduct. But in doing so, we miss out on God`s gift.

Our world, no matter our strength and self-discipline, is full of temptation. God is aware of this fact. Accordingly, God sent the Holy Spirit into this world to guide us, support us, build us up and, most importantly, love us. The Holy Spirit is God among us. The Holy Spirit is a gift we cannot ever repay.

If we reconcile our spirit with the Holy Spirit, submitting the one to the other, our faith will grow exponentially. In that case we will live out the mission of Jesus Christ and have no fear of the obstacles put in our path.

Of course submission is not easy. It is difficult to turn oneself over to another. But during this Lenten season we are given an opportunity to reflect on our relationship with God. Through this we can strengthen our relationship with and dependence on the Holy Spirit. From this, I am hopeful we will learn we are not alone. And that is no game.

Generous God, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Dallas Rakestraw

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