Christ-Bearer

Someone gave my daughter a unique and modern looking St. Christopher medal as a graduation present. The image below is the same as the one on the medal. The text is from the little card that came with it. (by James Avery Craftsman.)

[St. Christopher]

St. Christopher once helped travelers ford a raging river. One, a small child, grew heavier as they crossed. The saint said, “Had I carried the whole world on my shoulders, the burden could not have been heavier.” The child replied, “Thou hast not only borne the whole world, but Him who made the world. I am Jesus Christ the King.”

St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers. The name Christopher means Christ-bearer.

Muddy Feet

Whoever flees prayer, flees all that is good!

— St. John of the Cross

I know this deep in my heart, but sometimes, it can be so hard. Why? Prayer should be the easiest, most natural thing in the world, to be drawn toward God. That is the direction I want to go, that is where my heart yearns, aches. But sometimes, I cannot find the words, cannot find the feelings, cannot simply turn my heart to God. My heart feels like feet firmly planted in mud. I do not flee. I just stand there, indifferent. I tug slightly, just enough to make a motion, but no real movement happens. Something inside me resists. I want to blame the mud incasing my feet, incasing my heart. But I know it is not the mud. It is me. Why do I resist? Why do I rebel?

Please Lord, help me to humble myself before you and others, to let go of my resistance to all that is good, to pull my feet, my heart, from the mud and walk with you.

Teach Me Your Way

This little, bouncy song to only an accoustic guitar rings true with me in so many ways.

Too many days I’ve spent a wasted, worrying
about tomorrow what it may bring
Dreams of dollar signs and worthless nothings
of what the others think of me

(chorus)
Lord, teach me Your way
    teach me to pray
    for all the things you want for me
Lord, teach me to die
    forget the lies
    the world’s been telling me
Lord bring down Your holiness on me
Lord bring down Your holiness on me

Even now I’m worrying how this song sounds
pretty crazy don’t you think
I’m always trying to make things so perfect
I forget this ain’t for me

chorus

It’s time I leave behind the dreams I have
    of being something
I’m getting tired of that trap
I’m going to leave behind the dreams I have
    of being something
I want to dream of only You, Jesus

chorus

My Jesus, teach me how to be
teach me how to be…

— Adam Bitter

Trying to be perfect, worrying about “worthless nothings” and what others might think of me. Nothing I do is for me anyhow! It is all about others. “Teach me to pray”, still don’t know after all this time. How to forget the lies of the world? And maybe the most important part—“teach me how to be.”