Shiver Me Timbers You Wretched Creature

September 19th is Talk Like a Pirate Day. I'm not sure I can come up with an inspirational thought to share with fellow Christians about being a "Christ-like pirate". But, I have a few pirates in my life whom I'd like to make walk the plank or throw overboard. Being tempted to do something & acting on the temptation isn't the same. Right? Right??

As a Christ-follower, I am trying to give the pirates in my life the benefit of the doubt. If I am what I say I am (a lover & follower of Christ) I need to ask for a burden on my heart to pray for God's children who cannot see their way clear of choices they've made in the past or poor choices they continue to make. It's so easy for me to think about the wretched creatures in my life and say...

AAARRRR, You wretched landlubber!

Sometimes I forget that EVERYONE if free to hear God's whispers. And, I forget how deeply God loves EVERYONE. I forget how God lovingly pursues every person individually. And, I forget that God loves EVERYONE unconditionally, right where we are, with no strings attached. 

There are some children of God in my world at this time who are struggling with choices they are making or have made. Do you have any of those wretched creatures in your life? I am trying very hard to pray daily that their eyes will be open to the LOVE OF GOD. It's all too easy for any of us to feel like we are unworthy & don't deserve to have communion with the Creator of the Universe. 

My prayer is that I be seen as a person of grace & not condemnation -- that I might be a better reflection of Christ. Because... all of us have sinned & fallen short. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous... through Christ Jesus.

"We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin." Romans 3:22-25

Here's a just for fun picture of me & the LOML (with a pirate statue between us) in St. Thomas - when we were young &  love :) Now we're old & in love :)

Arrrrr... I love this matey!!

I pray that eyes will be opened to God's unconditional love through me each day!! May my words & deeds reflect my profession of faith in following Christ. We're all wretched creatures in Satan's eyes... but, we are BELOVED in the eyes of Christ!!

Want to know how to speak Pirate?  

written on 9/20/2012 - and LOST in all my unpublished drafts... Arrrrr!