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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me push past stage fright and say what I need to say! Amen.

"You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, it's no good," said Jesus. "You are the light of the world, and people don't hide lamps under baskets - they put them on tables to fill the whole house with light. Let your light shine like a lamp, so everyone can see God in you!"

A lot of people aren't crazy about public speaking. When they have to talk in class or they're auditioning for a play, they get stage fright. They feel nervous and even a little sick.

Of course, any kid who's had a part in a play or given a successful presentation for a class project will tell you that, once they got past the fear, the rush of doing it well make them forget all about their stage fright and even want to do it again!

This week's Gospel (Matthew 5:13-16) is about stage fright. Jesus was coaching people to carry on His work; after He went back to heaven, it would be their job to spread the word and help people get close to God.

It isn't a surprise that He needed to give a pep talk to get them to do that, though!

If you get scared when you have to speak in front of people, it's probably because you aren't feeling confident that you can do it. You imagine that people are judging you, thinking bad things about you.

Jesus' answer was that people have more talent than they think. He called people "the light of the world" and "the salt of the earth" - big compliments! But He also said that no one can see your talent if you hide it.

Stage fright is just a reaction to fear. It can't stop you from doing what you like, unless you let it. As Jesus said, let your light shine - and rock that audition or that talk![[In-content Ad]]

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