We LOVE missionary stories, heroes of the faith stories. One of our favorite series, hands down, has been Christian Heroes Then and Now. Recently, we discovered on Amazon Prime that you could watch the Torchlighter's series by Voice of the Martyrs. This afternoon I have had this headache that just will not go away. Finally, I called it a day and we piled on the parent's bed and watched the story of Perpetua.
Oh.My.
I had never, before today, heard of Perpetua.
I will never, after today, forget Perpetua.
This girl, she literally gave up everything. She lived and died Luke 14:26. In case you are not familiar with Luke 14 verse 26, Jesus says, (I am paraphrasing) 'if anyone comes to Me and does not hate their mother and father, their own children, their very own lives, such a person cannot be My disciple.'
This is one of those verses that I usually trip over, wonder at, question, argue, struggle with, and just cannot wrap my mind around. I cannot imagine hating - and I know it doesn't mean hate in terms of being mean, it means to love Him so much that it seems like you despise the greatest earthly treasures you are given. Ouch. I do not do this. I want Jesus and my family. I want Jesus and a fabulous earthly life. What would I do if I was faced with the choice, like Perpetua. I need time to process this. I need time to mull over what I have just learned. This girl's story is one of those that wreck you.
A few nights ago we were watching Chris Beat Cancer. I love this guy. I have watched it for three years now when he posts it free on his website. He spoke about his walk with God a few modules ago and I am still thinking over what he had to say about fervent prayer and what that looks like. I realized at the end of the night what I thought of as fervent prayer was more like when I felt like it prayer, or when I am in a pinch prayer. Ouch. I need time to mull over this some more and make some changes.
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