Just tryin this method out

Gettng my bearings

I was making noise last time about no real idea where my destination lay in terms of my faith journey. As I have had a chance to think about it I am not so sure that is accurate. After all as a proclaimed follower of Christ then my destination should be to imitate him. In Action. In thought. In everything. That should be the goal. I know it is mine. But what really strikes me about this is that although it is a goal I can,and do, choose. It is not a goal I can reach on my own. True there are many ways I can imitate Christ. I can be kind to others. I can offer them hope. I can bring a healing to a hurt soul. I can feed the hungry. I can weed out my closet and give clothes those who are in need of them more than I. I can exercise more patience in the Wal Mart parking lot on any given occasion.

But ultimately despite what I do I still need to acknowledge that Jesus made a voluntary sacrifice for me, along with the rest of humanity as well. On the Cross. By his Death, Burial, and Resurrection I have access to a power greater than myself to become something greater than myself. I think that is important. Rather – I don't think, I KNOW! So I do know my destination on this journey. Some call it Christ likeness. I call it becoming human. What God had in mind when he/she/it created us humans. To take charge of the Creation and our fellow humans that inhabit it.

So I have to revise my sating I don't know my destination on my faith journey. I do. It is clear. It is simple. But it will also be the death of me because I have to die to 'me'. This is where I need Christ [ and the Holy Spirit] to help me change. I like all my fellow humans are basically selfish. That selfishness makes in impossible to really fulfill the Great Command of loving the Lord God and then loving your neighbor [ as much or more than you love yourself my paraphrase].

Having said all that I am now of the realization that I know where I am headed. I still have many stops for the tricycle along the journey but at least I am somewhat better orientated.

Destination Unknown?

     I have to admit that I haven't written in the past month or so because my life, as are other's lives, been a journey. Although for me there has been no clear destination in mind other than being the best 'Christian' that I could be. Just how t I am to arrive at that goal has been a bit of a mystery to me. In fact that seems to be a problem for many of us “ Christians”; we don't see this life as a journey or we haven't a clue as to our destination. If you are like me you have heard the passage from the New Testament letter to the Hebrews about how we are in a race witnessed by others and that we must run the good race to the finish [ Hebrews 12:1-3]. I might add we are supposed to run this race with great patience, something that I am in short supply of at times. But then again I think that can apply to any of us. I think of this passage often and wonder if I somehow missed the starting gun. Or if they even allow tricycles in this race. Besides haven't I read somewhere that Christians are supposed to be non-competitive? If that is true them Paul's more athletic allusions in his writings to the early church then somehow have missed on that concept ( and FTR I do think that Paul was the writer of the passage here).

But I digress, as I often do.

Back to my original thought. I started out this journey, as well as this blog, in hopes of becoming a better”Christian”. As I think more and more,maybe the destination for becoming a better”Christian” should be just becoming a better person. Simple as that. Maybe the key to being a “Christian” is understanding that the Gospel is more about reclaiming Life and less about gaining Heaven. After all Jesus started his 'public' ministry by reading out of Isiah 61. So where does that leave us with Paul's illustration of us being in a 'Race'? I am not sure really? I am pretty sure that this is something to consider as I resume my journey.