Stumbling Blocks

Stumbling Blocks

I have yet to meet a person who hasn’t stumbled at sometime in their life, sometimes it is through no fault of their own, yet flat on their face is where they landed. It's what I refer to as a face plant!

I can’t even begin to tell you how many stumbling blocks that I have encountered in my years of searching for the meaning to my existence .I have stumbled so many times along the path that I sometimes wondered if I was ever going to land with the right end up! Just when it seems that I am starting to get it, bam! Everything changes, everything except and thankfully God.

The first thing that I have learned is that God is always there to help us when we call out to Him. God is not pushy; He always waits for an invitation. He doesn’t always give us the answer that we are looking or hoping for. However if you just hang on he has a plan that will far exceed anything that we can hope for.

As a Christian: wife, mother, friend, speaker, and author I am faced with many stumbling blocks. I often approach people for their reason for not being a Christian and so this curiosity has become one of the premises for my newest book. I ask them what is it about Christianity that keeps you from becoming a Christian. The answers are often very well conceived and thoughtful.

As of late one of the arguments is; look what is happening in the Catholic Church, and I must say my knee jerk reaction is to distance myself from the Catholic Church all together. However that would be the wrong response. Catholic’s and Protestants have had a long arduous and at times volatile relationship to say the least; the name Protestant is in itself a response to the direct opposition to the Catholic religion. The reformation was just one example of a turbulent church history.

Nevertheless we must remember that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Even if we are against many teachings in each other’s churches we must continue to pray vigilantly for our Christian family. If we separate the members of the church body we will not be able to stand.

To paraphrase my Minister Rev. Ian Shaw, when he is confronted with the dark history of the Christian Church, he invites them to name an organization that hasn’t had its rough patches and still does as much good in the world as the Christian church does.

Christians feed the hungry, help the homeless, and rally around people in need no matter what their religious affiliation is. Christians follow a leader in Christ Jesus who taught us to turn the other cheek and to love one another.

^{John 15-21 15} When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

¹⁶Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

¹⁷ The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." ¹⁹Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

If after reading this you would like to share with me, some of your stubbling blocks, I would be happy to hear from you! Many blessings, your sister in Jesus, Rachelle