Are Ye All One in Christ?

A couple days ago I was scrolling through my Twitter feed when I ran across a tweet that saddened me greatly:

I just deleted my tweet about my question about the book of Revelation. I have never gotten anymore hate or ignorant comments than from Christians!

That is very telling.

What a terrible example we are setting? Do we say we are Christian and yet attack those who seek assistance interpreting scripture?

I have seen more Christians attacking Christians than ever should be. How are we living our faith if we are adding to the contention in the world? The sad fact is, we are allowing our fears and differences guide us.

• Does it matter which “image” of Christ we carry in our minds? “No!”
• Does it matter which “aspect” of Christ our group of disciples focus on? “No!”
• Does it matter which “name” of Christ we use most often? “No!”
• Does it matter how far along the path of discipleship someone else is? “No!”

What matters is that we made the choice to follow Christ. In following Christ we should have compassion for those on a different part of their path. What matters is that we act as brothers and sisters to every other disciple along the way.

Perhaps we could use a reminder from our Exemplar, I like this one from Paul’s epistle to the Galatians, chapter 3 verses 26-29:

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

When we remember that we are all one in Christ, then we can better act as examples of Christ to the world, as we are commanded in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, verse 16:

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

When we act from fear instead of glorifying our Father in Heaven, we push away those who may be new to their path of discipleship, and what’s more, we bring down upon our heads the hatred and persecution of non-believers.

I pray that we, as disciples of Christ Jesus, will remember to Fear Not, that He may be with us and we with Him.

May God bless you in your discipleship,
Sarah

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

I Remember

I remember the things that happened to me, the things I saw, the things I did. I can see the spiritual darkness encompassing my early life.

I remember Baptism as well. When I was immersed in the water, the darkness was pulled off of me, cleansed. And when the water drained down, it took all that darkness and flushed it underground, where it belongs. I walked out of those waters clean, new. 

The memories remain, but they are not me anymore. That was Someone Else’s Story.

Dangerous Depths of Discouragement

I am not as emotionally robust as many others I know, especially when it comes to my own work.

I have researched deeply and I know that disappointment and discouragement are a normal part of any writer’s journey. But knowing something intellectually, and preparing your heart for the attack, are very different ballgames. I can prepare my mind with relative ease, but my heart is a strange mystery to me.

I have studied my heart from every angle, and most of the time I convince myself that I have it well-understood. But then I can look back at patterns of avoidance and discouragement, and I realize my heart has been steering me away from a wound and I was oblivious.

This is where I am now, I have been avoiding writing for about a year now, because I just don’t have the emotional robustness that this path needs…

Does that mean my stories and story-ideas should be abandoned?
Of course not!
But I guess I needed a break.

Perhaps I won’t ever be published, I’ll have to console myself that I had good ideas, but not the right personality type to bounce back well enough to sell them. I’m not a salesman. I’m just me.

Maybe I’ll grow stronger in the future (this is always my hope)…

Blessings and Hopes that you are stronger,
Sarah

Coming to Terms With Big Changes

Hi there!

I haven’t posted for a while because life happened and it’s taken me awhile to process it. Basically, my husband and I sat down with our family budget and realized that we couldn’t wait any longer for my books, blog, etc. to generate income. So, to do the responsible thing, we would have to sacrifice Homeschooling so that I could go back to work.

I can’t express how much this decision has pained me, but I still have faith that the Lord has a plan for us. Thankfully, my kids have wonderful teachers who care deeply about their education.

This site may end up back on the free WordPress site, but that decision won’t need to come until January. Until I am able to focus on this blog and my books again, you are welcome to follow my activity on Pinterest, where I am still actively pinning.

Thank you for reading this and Blessings!
Sarah

I Am Undeserving

The Lord has blessed me in such immeasurable ways, that I cannot begin to understand them all, let alone re-pay him.

I am grateful for my husband, he is loving, considerate, passionate, hard-working, he cares deeply about our welfare and gives his all to provide for us. He is also less-than-perfect in all the best ways for me. Working to overcome my pride and take care of his fragile heart, have made me a better wife and woman in general. I love him so completely.

I am grateful for my kids. I am blessed with three amazing children that I get to watch grow and learn every day. I am also blessed with one brilliant, defiant son from my first marriage who challenges me to grow farther and fastest than I ever imagined. I am also blessed with 5 step-children who amaze me with their capacity for respect and forgiveness. These nine beautiful souls have touched my life and my heart and caused it to grow beyond my comprehension. I love them each so dearly.

I am grateful for my rental home. I am blessed with just the right amount of space to teach my kids and let them be safe exploring outside. We have enough room for all our kids to be comfortable at night, even if they all come visit at once. We are in a good neighborhood and enjoy our neighbors.

I am grateful to have two cars again. It is truly wonderful to be able to go to the library and the homeschool coop while my husband is at work, without having to wake everybody up at 6 am to get ready and take him there. I am grateful that these cars are well-maintained and will last us a good long while, barring anything unforeseen.

I am grateful to have reliable internet service and a computer. I am blessed to be able to have the resources to build a business that I can run from within our home. I love being able to care for and teach our children, as well as hopefully have the means to provide the extra income we need to pay down our debt and save for our own home.

I am grateful for cellphones. I am blessed to be able to talk to my husband and other family members regardless of the distance between us.

I am grateful for indoor plumbing and a hot water heater. I am blessed to be able to drink and cook with clean water, and shower in very warm water.

I am grateful for our refrigerator and freezer. I am blessed to be able to store and preserve foods, so that we may eat healthy food.

I am grateful for our furnace and fireplace. I am blessed that my family can be warm at night, even when it’s 5 below.

I am grateful for many other temporal blessings that the Lord has provided my family and I. Perhaps I will continue counting them another day.

For now, Blessings to You, and Thanks for stopping by!
Sarah