Hi guys!
It’s Tash here, chances are the last time I saw you was 1 month ago at Ignite Conference!
I’m still riding a bit of a high from conference, I have the playlist in high rotation, and my conference merch is at risk of being worn too much but I like having these reminders around me. Each time I remember conference I remember what God was doing and what he was saying to me – it’s the best kind of pick-me-up.
But one month on and the memories are starting to fade a bit; conference is feeling further away and just that bit harder to connect with. But I am not going to give up! I am not going to let myself forget it all or remember it as a thing in my past. I want the experience of Ignite Conference, and my experience of Jesus to shape every day going forward, I want to live every day in the light of Christ. “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are in the light. Live then as children of light” Ephesians 5:8.
So if you’re starting to feel a bit disconnected and wanting to live as children of the light, I wanted to share my tips from the last rally with you again and the lessons we can learn so we don’t end up like those ‘foolish bridesmaids’ stuck in the dark (Matt 25:1-13)
1. Keep Praying – sounds like a no brainer and that’s because it is. God wants to be in relationship with you, He didn’t send his Son to the world to die for us and save us so he can stay distant from us! He wants to draw close to you, closer than you can imagine. And like any other relationship, we need to spend time with Him, speak to Him, listen to Him, just hang out with Him. For me, just speaking to God like I do a friend, reading the scriptures and journalling are how I connect best. For you it might be through music, through art, through quiet contemplation or praising aloud. Find your way to connect with God and you’ll find Him waiting for you.
2. Partake in the Sacraments – The Sacraments are meeting places with Jesus, doorways for us to step into His presence. What set Ignite Conference apart was that it was infused with the Sacraments, remember what it felt like to be in Adoration? To go to Reconciliation and be made new again. Remember what it was like to worship as one people at the Mass? Jesus was in it all and he’s there in your home parish and community Mass too.
3. Stay connected with your friends – Who did you come to Ignite Conference with? Or did your make friends there? You shared something special with them, and they get what it is to be a light of Christ in the world. So, keep in touch! Make plans, connect with them. You might not get to see them that often but those friends we share faith with; they make us burn brighter. (Read Ecclesiastes 4:8-12, it speaks about holy friendships)
4. Draw on the power and the gifts you already have. If you have been baptised then you have that light of Christ with you, the Holy Spirit is with you, and it is not going anywhere! And if you’ve been confirmed then it’s been stirred up and strengthened. God has already done so much in you, but he wants to do it in partnership with you! Call upon the Holy Spirit like the apostles did at Pentecost, but don’t look for him to fall from heaven. Look for him to come from you and to work through you.
You are the light of Christ, you are the light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome you! Till next time!
Blessings!
Tash xx