Being nervous is a good thing. We like to avoid times of nervousness but in reality it helps us focus and it tells us what we are about to do is super important. I always get a little nervous before preaching, celebrating Mass and even refereeing basketball. I want to do a good job, I want people to enjoy their time and I don’t want to make any mistakes. Being nervous helps us to be ready and it humbles us to know we are not always completely in control.
If we get too comfortable we can become complacent — and that is when things can fall apart. This can make us too confident in our own abilities and we forget to rely on God and others. If we are too complacent or too relaxed, we might have to consider going beyond our comfort zone and seek ways to develop our skills and learn more about ourselves.
Being a faithful disciple invites us to be nervous — attentive, awake, alert and ready to share our faith and love with others. God so often will put us in situations that make us nervous so that we can rely on him and simply trust sharing our lives and faith with those around us. When we feel not ready we are really ready. The banana peels are needed too to humble us and slip us out of complacency.
How can you get out of your comfort zone and grow as a faithful disciple? In what ways can we become complacent and what does that do to us? How can we always be ready, prepared and alert in sharing the Good News of Jesus in our daily lives?
