Stirred and Formed

He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. (Luke 1:15)

What an inspiring thing to hear about John the Baptist! Wouldn’t you want to be filled with the Spirit from your very first days? Well, maybe if we compared John and Samson, whose story is told in today’s first reading, we may have second thoughts. Both were instruments of the Holy Spirit, but their lives teach us very different lessons. 

Look at Samson. Like John the Baptist, he was born to a devout childless couple. He was to be set apart for the Lord and would be blessed and stirred by his Spirit. But if you fast-forward through his life, you see that Samson was compromised by his involvement with foreign women, most notably, Delilah. And even though he was supposed to be the beginning of Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines, his lack of self-control put the whole nation in peril (Judges 13:5). In the end, “stirred by the Spirit,” Samson acted heroically. But his story shows us that maybe being stirred by the Spirit wasn’t enough.

On the other hand, John the Baptist was formed by the Holy Spirit, not just stirred. The Spirit moved in him from the womb, just like Samson, but John responded by going into the desert so that the Spirit could teach him. He chose an environment where distractions were fewer so that he could keep his attention on God.

And what a difference that made! John may have been an unusual figure, but his testimony rang true. Because he learned to listen to the Spirit, he could speak words of repentance that drew crowds of people back to the Lord. 

The closer we get to Christmas, the busier we can get. So many things can distract us. Don’t let that happen! In this week before Christmas, make an extra effort to set aside time for the Lord. Put aside the distractions of life, and focus on him. Ask the Spirit to do more than just stir you; ask him to transform you. Then see how his fruits of joy, peace, patience, and kindness shine forth from you this Christmas! 

“Holy Spirit, I don’t want to be satisfied with occasional stirrings from you. I want you to form me and train me so that I can be your instrument!”

taken from wau.org