12 Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that the things that have happened to me have actually advanced the gospel. 13 The whole Praetorian Guard and everyone else knows that I’m in prison for Christ. 14 Most of the brothers and sisters have had more confidence through the Lord to speak the word boldly and bravely because of my jail time.
Reflection
“…the things that have happened to me have actually advanced the gospel.”
Have you ever had a time that felt like this? Perhaps in the moment, it was something painful or confusing. I can think of many examples of where I can look back onto a situation, and realize that it actually will be just another way I will be able to share the gospel better or empathize with people more.
One example for me is spending so much time pursuing a career in theatre. By the time I had made the decision to shift to ministry, I had been working towards my acting goals for half of my life. I couldn’t see right in the moment how useful all those years would be. Sure, I could comfortably stand on a stage and talk, but really? All those years for that?
Then during my first semester at seminary, I arrived at a required course for all students where the teachers for it were pre-assigned at random. The class was on speech and communication and lo and behold, my teacher was a theatre actor. We even had some mutual friends. My years in the theatre were more than just learning to talk in front of people, it was a pursuit of authenticity, practice in constant vulnerability, skills on how to mark up a script to help in performance.
So yes, the things that have happened to me have and will advance the gospel.
By Rachel Callender
For Pondering & Prayer
Is there a time in your life that you can think back to and say, “I didn’t know it then, but now I know why that happened. I can see what good can be taken from it”?
Prayer: Mysterious God, you are constantly at action in our lives. Help us to see your Spirit move. Amen.
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