I.ve been thinking a lot about two people recently: Joseph and St. Patrick- odd, I know, but I.ll explain.
Allow me to briefly refresh your memories…
Joseph- from the Bible, not your average Joe, remembered for his technicolor coat and crazy dreams. Not a favorite with his siblings, sold into slavery at 17, and through him, God did amazing things. You see, even though Joseph found himself miles away from home and all people and things familiar to him, he was not alone- God was with him. The Genesis account repeatedly reports of Gods presence with Joseph and how He blessed Josephs work and even though he probably didn.t realize it in the midst of it, God was at work in and through Joseph and his circumstances to accomplish the greater good.
St. Patrick- Not just a holiday where the whole world pretends to be Irish for the sake of a kiss and rivers are died green, St. Patrick was a real man who, like Joseph, was forced from his home and into slavery at a young age and found himself in foreign land. It is reported that during the six years he spent enslaved in Ireland, Patrick, rather than dwelling on his misfortune, recalled what he had once learned about God and called upon His name and was saved. He then spent most of his day fellowshipping with the Lord in prayer. The originator of Stockholm syndrome, Patrick, rather than hating the Irish for enslaving him, loved them and would return to live out his days amongst the Irish sharing the love of God with the people.
Let.s connect the dots…
Obviously, I am not presently in slavery, I came to Ireland quite happily, by my own free will. However, like these men, I currently find myself in a foreign country far away from home and all people and things familiar. For the first time in my life, I have been completely and entirely removed from the Christian bubble and set down in a country where most people.s religious actions are as cold as the weather [which is quite nippy]. Most days I feel very isolated where I am but I find comfort in the fact that I am not alone, just as He was with Joseph and Patrick, God is with me here.
One day, as I reflected on life entirely outside the Christian community, how different it was to not just work but also live with non believers, I thought how Joseph also worked and lived amongst non believers. I thought about how God was with Joseph there and blessed his efforts and worked through him in Egypt. As I reflected on this, I began to pray that God would make me a Joseph, enabling me to do my work with a content and patient spirit and bless my efforts, working in and through me.
Since then, I.ve found myself spending a lot more time in prayer than I had, even before coming here. The more I prayed, the more I was reminded of St. Patrick and the veggie tales sketch on him where they highlighted how much of Patrick’s time in servitude was supposedly devoted to prayer. This stuck in my head and in some way, encouraged me to spend more time in prayer.
Wrapping things up...
I am a sojourner- both in this land and in this life. As I continue to live out my days, I can only pray that in my faith I will grow more like these men, and ultimately more like Christ. [ps. the veggie tales sketch on St. Pat- watch this for a good chuckle and some semi-accurate info: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg5ejLGEnZk]
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