Ordinary Moments of Evangelization

 I have a rosary that permanently lives in the wagon I use on my daily walks with my daughters. It's handy to have on hand in case there is ever a quiet moment for me to sneak in a decade or two. Some days, I am bold enough to pray out loud as we make our way through the neighborhood, but more often than not, I pray silently as my girls harass ant hills, run down the sidewalk, or collect dandelions.

Recently, I was praying my rosary on one of our morning walks when we ran into a friend from church. It took me about halfway through our conversation to realize I was still holding the rosary in my hand! Subconsciously, I knew I didn't have to hide it because she is a like-minded Catholic.

I am proud to be Catholic, but I cannot say that I always feel that safe or confident about my rosary walks.

The truth is, a few weeks ago, I had a very different response. As we walked past a man in our neighborhood who was doing yard work, I casually set my rosary down. I didn't know him and wasn't sure what he would think. Chances are, he wouldn't have even noticed, yet I let a brief moment of insecurity derail what could have been a simple gesture of evangelization.

Another example happened when I was making small talk with a grocery store clerk, and the conversation led to him sharing a personal struggle. My first instinct was to tell him, "I will pray for you." Instead, I simply said, "I am so sorry to hear that," and went home to pray for him without him ever knowing. I know that I did not need his consent to pray for him, but again, I missed a small opportunity to evangelize.

Sometimes it can be hard to remember that witnessing to our Catholic faith happens more often in the ordinary moments of daily life than in the extraordinary ones. I am so fortunate to be a part of the Catholic Country Chronicles ministry and to use this platform to evangelize through writing and speaking on the podcast. I have also been blessed with other incredible opportunities to serve the Lord through music. As a result, a simple rosary walk can seem like small potatoes. Yet, as small as it may seem, I will never know the impact it could have on someone if I hide my rosary by putting it down before walking by.  

Back in September of 2022, I wrote a post entitled "We Are Ordinary Missionaries." As I reread those words, I was struck by how deeply they still resonate with me today.

In that post, I wrote about how easy it is to put up blinders to my current season of life while waiting for God to use me in the next one. To this day, I still catch myself thinking things like, "God will use me after the baby comes," or, "Once this music ministry is established, it will be easier to serve the Lord through music."

The reality is that a mindset like that puts unnecessary pressure on me to do something big instead of leaning into the small yet beautiful moments the Lord gifts me each day. God is not waiting for some future version of me to serve Him. He is using me right now. 

The more we get to know Christ, the more we get to know ourselves and have the spiritual confidence to serve the Lord in our true capacity. In what ways is the Lord asking you to embrace the small and ordinary opportunities to serve Him which can and will change hearts in extraordinary ways?

Until next time, your sister in Christ,

Abby

Click here to read the past post! We Are Ordinary Missionaries