2 Timothy 1:1-14

“For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” vss. 6-7

In many of our faith traditions there is a ritual known as confirmation or the affirmation of baptism in which young people, many times about thirteen or fourteen years old, receive a blessing through the laying on of hands. It seems from today’s text that something like that also took place in the early church. Here Paul is reminding Timothy of that special day, asking him to rekindle the gift of God that was within him. Some among us can identify with Paul’s concerns. It’s so easy for young people to wander off to see where demons dwell, to experiment with other ways of living, and to even abandon the faith into which they were baptized. Some are embarrassed by the faith of their parents and rightly reject what they see as narrow-minded prejudice and hypocrisy in the church. They’re looking for a new and a better way…yet what they seek is so elusive. Paul says that what they seek is already within them, that it’s the spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. It’s the gift of God and it belongs to them. All it needs is a bit of rekindling. And that’s our prayer too for the young ones we love so much!

Thought for the Day: In whom do I want to see the gift of God rekindled?