Gifts of the Holy Spirit and Me

In my life the gifts of the Holy Spirit are present through my personal prayer and reflection and the prayers and reflections that occur at school. I try to bear these gifts outside of school and I attend mass to give me a renewal of the liturgy and word of God. School helps me learn of these gifts. Religion class is centered around building a better understanding of the faith. I see the gifts in others around me too, especially the faculty and staff at school and church. Most of the people I surround myself with are always encouraging that I practice these gifts, not explicitly but I can determine it by the meaning of each gift in relation to what they are saying. Not long ago I saw piety at work when we did adoration at school because I was able to stop for a moment and fully focus on Jesus and my needs. There are people in my life that seem to embody a gift or more in themselves. They are the people who give me courage and teach me about God and the way to God. The gifts are working in my life not just outside of me but inside of me too. I possess each to some degree although I strive for a fuller possession of the gifts.

In my life today the gift I need most is piety. There are so many distractions that I create in my head and outside my head that I have trouble managing. I am often accused for thinking too much about the things that distress me. Then I think that if I didn't think as much I might stop caring and I don't want to stop caring. There I go again. The gift of piety helps me not only to be at peace during the hectic times but also to love others. I think this is also a great challenge to me because I try to love others but never feel like I am doing a good job or someone does something and I get upset. Piety offers a patience and acceptance of others and of the distractions. If I can understand others and be clear of anxiety I can focus more effectively on other aspects of my faith like fear of The Lord. Having a better sense of the gift of piety would allow me to be at a peace and therefore more able to think not of anxieties but of God. Today the world around me seems so busy and full of distractions I hardly feel I have time to slow down and reform my thoughts and actions.