Issues

Everyone seems to have issues, the carrying of baggage, for a lifetime, or just the simple sulk for a little while. It seems so easy to pick things up and not put them down again, I was reading something recently, which really struck at the core of why so many issues, arguments and moods happen.

An awful lot of things are down to expectations and desires and when the expectation or desire is not met, or not met in the way we wanted it, we have can, worms, everywhere.

So many things in my life, so many pieces of pain, arguments and frustrations, have happened due to these reasons, generally, I did not get my own way.

It is so easy to talk about 'my' rights and what 'I' deserve and it happens to often that there is a motive in conversations or arguments, to be justified, to be right, to get what I deserve or what I want.

If I got what I deserved, I would be in serious trouble, in general, there is too much of my desire and what I want, caught up in how I express myself, it is not what I am called to be.

Jesus asked me to deny myself, to lift up the cross daily and follow Him, that means, putting everything down when I pick that cross up.

Today

It is of course St. Patrick's day today and being Irish, it is a day of celebration, a celebration of Christianity coming to Ireland, a declaration of freedom of that country at that time and hopefully a declaration that continues today, freedom through Jesus Christ.

There were many and there continues to be many brave people that go out and declare freedom in very difficult circumstances. Look at the middle east right now, or look at the pakistani minister, a Christian, gunned down a couple of weeks for making a stand on the country's blasphemy laws. It was not easy for Patrick either facing druids, chieftains and kings who did not want to hear what he had to say, at the risk of death, freedom won through.

It will continue to win through, some will fall, others will rise up, freedom will win.

Then put that into the daily context of our lives, stop worrying so much about 'being relevant' or ' preaching without speaking', declare freedom.

What title?

Trying to keep on blogging, keep thinking about it and then it sort of goes to the back of the list, no worries, I see that many others are slacking. It is important to not get things the wrong way round, I blog because 'I' want to express something, not because people are hanging on my every word, so I do have a lot I want to say, I will keep on trying to express myself, communication is so important. I know I am now waffling.

The thing I wanted to say right now, is share a verse that really encourages me and gets to my very core of who I am, here goes.

John 6

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

When it comes down to my very being, who I am and what drives me, what my reality is, is this, this truth, that I hope I can never get away from. What I know from the relationship I have with the God I know, is His truth and that is all I have to go on, so I must run with it, be driven by it and respond to it in what ever way I can. There are no one else's words or ways that will lead to eternal life, One way. Jesus.