SecondIron's Blog

Sharpening Iron to Live Second

Finding Christ-like Humility

I was raised in a family in which appearances mattered. Not the tummy-tuck, plastic-face type, but the status and what “people might think” kind. More vanity and less humility.   Granted this was not how I was born, but it was how I was raised. Unknowingly I became blindly judgemental, arrogant, and condescending. I spent much of my young adult life trying to not be like I was raised. Yet turned out just as was planned. Over last few years I have been searching for my true north. Was it my identity I sought? Did I even know who I really was? A couple of years ago, my crown came crashing down. I met Jesus face to face in a hospital in Port au Prince, Haiti. It was there that I felt His pain, a pain I caused him, by the life I had been living. I had been angry for so long because of what others had done to me. Never taking the time or caring enough to see what I did to others in return. It was not until I came to grips with who I am in Christ, that I began to recognize my true calling. Humbled onto my knees the weight of my past crumbled off my shoulders. Jesus was there with me wiping away the pieces, comforting my tears. A sinner undeserving of His love or forgiveness, He ignored my transgressions as only He could. My past became a message, my journey was not in vain, as one day He would […]

Do You Trust Enough to Cut the Rope?

Timing is everything when it comes to our walk in faith. Ever sit in the pew on Sunday and feel like the priest picked out his homily or the readings just for you? Or maybe when you open your Bible no matter the day or circumstance the pages fall just open right where you need them? This is of course all coincidence or just human nature right? Or is it? Have you sat in a doctor’s office and anticipated the worst news ever? Did you pray and trust or did you allow the anxiety and angst build up in the moment? What about when your boss says he needs to meet with you and you don’t have a scheduled meeting? Or maybe its your own self-doubt that has a hold of you. Are you tied to the things of this world so tightly that you cannot see letting go? We try to control every aspect of our lives, not only our present, future but even our own pasts. This past weekend at church the readings brought  some truth and honesty from our priest. In his homily he shared challenges that he had faced before entering the priesthood. Challenges that any young man who was in a relationship that had ended would encounter. Self-doubt was overwhelming him at the moment when he should have been closest to God. He shared a portion of a homily that the priest back then had shared with him, a story that we could all relate to. This story of putting your […]

Touched by the Holy Spirit

As Christians we travel through life guided and touched by the Holy Spirit. Or are we? We thrive in life through our flesh rather than being guided by the light. We profess that we believe, but do you? Last weekend I spent getting my world shattered. I know I am broken, we all are to some extent. But when you have your brokenness laid out before you and are called to look it straight in the eye. How would you react? Sure I read my Bible, go to Church, tithe and “act Christian.” As many do I wear the t-shirts, preach the gospel. But that is not enough. I might as well be a heathen. I hide my sins, my pain and scars. Thinking that there is no way God would ever forgive a wretch like me. Holding onto years of anger and bitterness only drives the nails in deeper. Living in darkness becomes easy. “Let’s ask ourselves: are we open to the Holy Spirit, do I pray to him to enlighten me, to make me more sensitive to the things of God?” ~ Pope Francis Knees bruising from the weight of by burdened soul. I knelt down for what seemed like forever. For the first time in my life, I felt home. Home among thousands, yet the Holy Spirit chose me to be the one. Touched by the light, His fire and spirit burned from inside me. Crying like a small child, I asked for forgiveness. Relieve me from the pain of this darkness. Bring me from the […]