Martyrdom

"You shall be witnesses (martures) to Me...” (Acts 2:8)

I read of martyrs today, zealots that seek death in glorious, once-in-a-lifetime offerings. But true martyrdom is something altogether different. The term comes from a Greek noun, martus, that means "a witness," and in that sense I can and should become a martyr every day.

If I bear calamity and suffering patiently and calmly, even that suffering I’ve brought upon myself...

If I accept the difficulties of life as the righteous judgment of God on sinful humanity and repent of my part in it in humility and shame...

If I turn from my restless impatience in my troubles and bow in hopeful submission to God's will...

If I see no purpose in my pain and yet trust my Father's love and "wise bestowment"...

If others see in me that cheerfulness that is seldom seen in this world—a quiet joy in the face of deep sorrow and loss...

Then I have become a martyr, a "witness" to Christ’s invisible presence in me.

This is the "martyrdom" I seek and for which I pray.

DHR