Identity

In this post, I'm sharing a snippet of Jon Acuff's latest blog post. I guess it's talking about something that I've definitely experienced before, but had never really thought about in this way, so it stood out and made some ideas fall into place for me. Enjoy...
“The problem is that we all start off with an identity. It’s who we are and who God made us to be. Then we have some small degree of success and we add that to our identity. That success becomes our identity. So now, when we try something new, we’re not just afraid to fail, we’re afraid to lose our identity. That’s what’s terrifying. That’s why people are afraid to take risks or try new things. It’s not just failure at stake, we think we’re going to lose our identity and that’s overwhelming.”


In other news, I'm composing blog posts in my mind all the time at the moment, but never getting to actually type them out. If only technology had advanced as far as being able to transfer my thoughts into typed words!

Happy St. Patricks Day, by Donald Miller

Saint Patrick, for whom todays Catholic holiday is named, was not born Irish. His parents were Romano-British and deacons at the local church. At sixteen Patrick was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped his captives, snuck aboard a ship and made his way back to Britain. When he returned to Britain he studied to be a priest, after which he decided to return to Ireland to preach the gospel to what was then a polytheistic culture.

Saint Patrick was said to have used the shamrock to explain to the Irish people the doctrine of the Trinity. He spent thirty more years in Ireland and died on the 17th of March, 461. He is considered the principal missionary from Rome to the Irish and is celebrated as such on this day.

Today Saint Patricks day is celebrated around the world as a sort of tribute to the Irish and the culture of Ireland, a relatively small Island with a storied past and perhaps more storied characters within. It is, of course, widely known for its association with the drinking of beer. Saint Patricks day is the day in which the most alcohol is consumed by Americans. You can just see Saint Patrick now, can’t you, wandering into an American bar well after midnight, laying down on the floor next to a passed out college student, pointing at the paper shamrocks stapled to the ceiling, and explaining how much the Father loves the Son, and the Son loves the Father, and how the Holy Ghost is with us always, even on the floor of a pub.

Perspective.

"What we do with the thousands of opportunities around us resides in our hands. Looking at the world through Gods’ perspective starts with using the peace, faith, patience, love, grace, humbleness and mercy with which He empowers us. When one starts living life with the big picture perspective, life will never appear the same." 


This is a little quote I just read. Went to mention who wrote it, but they apparently didn't attach their name to their writing. Oh well. Perspective is something I've had to examine quite a bit lately, as I consider life, trials, and joys. Sometimes we need a bit of a reality check, and perspective is often key to this. I think.

Success and value

It's so easy to get caught up feeling like you should do something because it's what other people expect you to do, or to want to succeed so that you don't let others down. Sometimes thinking like this can help us strive to do our best, because we feel held accountable, but other times it's just not healthy. I'm so very thankful that I've had so many people in my life that have been willing to support me no matter what decisions I make. Even when my decisions lead to failure, they're just waiting to support me in what I choose to do next. I have been tempted, and given in, on many occasions, by what other people think I should do, or what they think would be best for me. People all the time just assume what I will go onto next in life, or make judgements about my choices, but I have got so much better at brushing hurtful things off, and thinking of them as like sandpaper that helps smooth and refine me into a better being. So, I am thankful for the critics as well. I chose to work and travel right after school, rather than going to university, like many people expected me to. I went to university (and have almost finished a degree!) in my own time, switched degrees, put it on hold to travel some more, transferred universities, worked for over 6 years in a job that people think is below me and my potential status or pay packet purely because I love it and I love the difference I am able to make in people's lives through it, and all that kind of stuff, and am so very glad that I went about things exactly the way that I did. I've learnt lessons and had experiences that never would've happened otherwise.
Value is something else we all struggle with every now and then, I think. Feeling valued and appreciated does so much for a person, so long as their motivations are coming from the right places. It's important not to do things or make decisions purely to get people to like you or to make yourself feel cooler. People are always going to let you down and make you feel unwanted. They're human beings, it's in their nature. How many Facebook friends you have doesn't say anything about how much you're really valued! True value and love comes from God. We should be striving to love people and make them feel valued and loved, because they are just as much God's children as we are.
I'm speaking to myself here. And I have no idea where any of this came from. I wasn't even planning on writing a blog post, and yet here it is.