Have you heard of VOM? The Voice of Martyrs? To be honest, I am not sure how I ended up on the mailing list receiving their free monthly magazine but month after month, year after year it shows up in my mailbox. I have moved several times and even though I’ve never ventured to their site to change my address, the magazine continues to find me.
Whenever it would arrive, my husband would place it on my desk along with my other mail. I would glance at it and sigh thinking it was just marketing material designed to shame me into donating to their cause. Yet, when I would place it in the recycle bin, this tug on my heart would occur and something akin to guilt would hit me.
Because I am one of those people that has trouble saying no, I assumed this feeling was simply another case of me wanting to cure all the ails the world. So, I dismissed the feeling and went about my way until the next month when it once again arrived in my mailbox.
Then one day. Yes, then one day I decided to open it up. I was both humbled and awed as I read the stories of these martyrs from around the world. At the same time, I was ashamed of myself. I learned more about myself and my faith in reading one issue of VOM, than I had learned in my many years as a Christian attending church services, bible studies, retreats, etc.
What I learned about myself is that I take my God for granted. I take my faith for granted. I take my ability to worship publicly for granted. Like a spoiled child that just assumes life will always be good, there will be no trials, or challenges, I took my faith for granted.
The bible speaks of persecution, yet I had never been openly persecuted. The bible speaks of suffering for Christ, yet even my non-Christian friends listen and ask questions when I talk about my faith. We hear the stories of those who have died for the faith. From John the Baptist, and Stephen to Thomas Becket to Dietrich Bonhoeffer and those martyred in Sri Lanka in 2019.
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
1 Peter 4:12-14
All of these and many more seemed so far away, so unreal, so unrelated to me. And then I read the Voice of Martyrs. These people were made real to me in the words I read. People facing real persecution every single day, every single moment of their lives with a courage and a strength that can only come from God.
And in these pages, I came to realize a sad truth. My faith has never been challenged. Not in a way that would cause me to have to stand and defend it or risk my livelihood, my family, or even my life. I was left wondering if I would have the courage and strength of those in the pages I read about that day. Would I, could I stand strong in my faith regardless of the consequences? Did I love my God enough to die for him?
In my next post, I will talk about a challenge I am now facing. I believe God was preparing me for this challenge through the stories in The Voice of Martyrs.
If you don’t receive their magazine or have never heard of Voice of Martyrs, I encourage you to sign up for the magazine. It is opening my eyes and my heart and changing my faith in a way I could not have imagined before.
Website: The Voice of Martyrs
Just for today, think about how deep is your faith. Check out VOM and reflect on how you can be living your life fully devoted to Christ.
May God bless you!
– PSG –
Featured
Image by congerdesign from Pixabay
Recent Comments