On March 26, put your purple on! Why? Because it’s Purple Day! Every year, on March 26, people around the world are wearing purple for epilepsy awareness.
For those of you who don’t know: “Epilepsy is a condition of the brain that is characterized by recurrent seizures. Approximately one in ten people will experience at least one seizure during a lifetime. A single seizure, however, is not epilepsy. Epilepsy is a condition that is defined by multiple seizures. Epilepsy is a seizure disorder. It is not a psychological disorder nor a disease and it is not contagious. The brain is made up of billions of nerve cells or neurons that communicate through electrical and chemical signals. When there is a sudden excessive electrical discharge that disrupts the normal activity of the nerve cells, a seizure may result. Seizures cause a change in function or behavior. A seizure may take many different forms including a blank stare, muscle spasms, uncontrolled movements, altered awareness, odd sensations, or a convulsion. The location in the brain of the abnormally discharging nerve cells determines the form the seizure will take. Seizures may occur rarely or as often as numerous times a day. Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological disorders… Epilepsy can be present at any age although its onset is most often in childhood or in the later years of life. Sometimes those who develop seizures during childhood outgrow their seizures. In the elderly, there is an increased incidence due to strokes and aging of the brain.” Source: purpleday.org Millions of special people, made by God in His image, are affected by epilepsy. One of those people is my dear little sister Sadie. Some of them live with uncontrollable seizures. For some, including Sadie, dietary therapy has worked to get them seizure-free. Others have found different methods of treatment. (Sadie’s full story, written by our mama, is in my book Do Justly which will hopefully be available sometime in April). So on March 26, wear purple for Sadie and all the other people who are fighting the beast of epilepsy. Maybe purple is “not your color”. Well, you’re not doing it for yourself. I think you can do it for one day. It’s a simple way you can stand for all those with epilepsy, all those people who often have a much harder time doing things that are easy for the rest of us, but are still fearfully and wonderfully created by God. “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works and that my soul knows very well.” Psalm 139:14
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Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, everyone! Today, I’d like to share with you the true story of how this holiday got started. Hint: It’s about a man who became known as Saint Patrick. And, even though there are legends and myths surrounding this holiday, the true story is about a man who followed Jesus Christ.
Britain, 389 A.D. Patrick was born in Britain to loving parents, both who became Christians due to the influence of Roman Christians who had come to the island. Britain was under Roman control at this time. In fact, the Romans controlled much of Europe. However, they could not conquer Ireland. Fierce warriors known as Celts were in control of Ireland and not even the powerful Roman army was a match for these fighters. Often, these Celts would make raids on Britain, taking booty and captives. When Patrick was about fifteen, they made a raid on his home village and took captives, including Patrick. Patrick was taken to Ireland and sold as a slave. He endured the hard life of a slave for six years. But God took what was meant for evil and used it for good. It was during those years of slavery that Patrick became a Christian. Even though his parents had taught him about God and prayed for him, he had never truly come to know Christ himself until now. Patrick began to pray, sometimes as many as one hundred times a day. One day, he believed God told him it was time to go back to Britain and a ship was waiting for him. So Patrick made his escape, travelling one hundred miles to the coast where he found a ship and was able to gain passage in exchange for caring for the wolfhounds on the ship. However, the ship was not headed for Britain, but Gaul, which is modern day France. After spending two years at a monastery in France, Patrick finally made it back to Britain and was reunited with his parents. He hadn’t been there long, though, when he had a dream. In his dream, the people of Ireland were asking him to come back and teach them about his God. As time passed, Patrick became more and more certain that God was calling him to go back to Ireland as a missionary. He spent several years training and preparing for missionary work and waiting for God’s timing to return. At last, he was on a ship headed for Ireland again. But this time he was going, not as a slave, but as a missionary, bringing the message of Jesus Christ to the people of Ireland. Many of the Druids (the superstitious pagans of Ireland) did not like him coming. But Patrick pressed on, enduring many difficulties, yet always preaching the gospel, speaking out against the evils of slavery, and the Druid practice of child sacrifice. God used him mightily to impact many people for the kingdom of God. He never left his beloved Ireland, finally dying there on March 17, 461, which is why we celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day on March 17. His life is an example to all of us of following Jesus Christ, no matter the cost. I’ve got a passion for justice, to see slaves set free, unborn babies given life, orphans placed in families. But there’s something I want to make clear. I’m not a humanitarian. I’m a Christian. A follower of Jesus Christ. That’s why I want to see justice done—because I want to see Jesus Christ proclaimed.
So what’s the difference between humanitarianism and Christian rescue work? The dictionary defines humanitarianism as:
Someone can be supporting a good cause, such as freeing slaves or caring for orphans, yet be completely opposed to God and His Word. That is not what we are to be. We are Christians. We work for justice, because the Bible tells us to, because we want to see Jesus Christ proclaimed. Too often, the work to free slaves, care for orphans, and help the poor has been led by humanitarians, when it should be led by us Christians. But we shouldn’t just support the causes that happen to be popular at the time. We Christians also have some very, ahem, unpopular beliefs. We believe everyone is a sinner. We believe Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. We believe every word in the Bible is true. We believe human life is valuable because God created humans in His image. We believe abortion is wrong. We believe homosexuality is wrong. We’re willing to do what’s right, whether it’s popular or not. Sometimes it will be, sometimes it won’t. In the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, William Wilberforce was willing to stand up and say slavery was wrong, even when it seemed like the whole world was against him. Today, the majority of people will agree with you if you say slavery is wrong. But say abortion is wrong, or homosexuality is wrong, and you’re going to become very unpopular. Now, don’t get me wrong, we should work to free slaves. It should be us Christians leading the charge. But we must also be willing to stand for the causes that are unpopular, for Jesus Christ and for His glory. I may sound like I’m repeating myself, but I want to make sure you get this. Now, we can’t do this in our own strength. Jesus says, “…without Me, you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). So, dear friends, let us ask God for His grace to do justly, love mercy, walk humbly with our God, and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to this lost and dying world. |
Hi! I'm Savannah Jane...I'm the author of several books for children and young adults with a passion to encourage young people to live for Jesus. The third born in an amazing family of seven children, I was homeschooled all the way through. This is where I share encouragement for Christian girls, updates about my books, writing tips, book and movie reviews, and assorted other tidbits. Archives
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Quote"When I try, I fail. When I trust, He succeeds."
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