She was 19 years old when she was burned at the stake.
At 13 she had a vision. St Michael, St Catherine, St Margaret appeared to her. She was given a mission. Lead France out of the 100yrs War and restore the rightful king.
And that’s what she set out to do.
But eventually she was captured and tried for crimes against God. The very God she was serving.
Witchcraft, heresy, cross dressing.
Joan of Arc hit the trifecta.
So she was executed by fire.
I had a patient ask me once how to know God’s will for her life.
And that’s not an easy question to answer.
Because the path isn’t always clear. It is cleared.
What that means is….it takes action.
She wanted a vision. But visions can be scary. They don’t always lead to an easy road. Sometimes they lead to a painful death. But Jesus said pick up your cross and follow me.
In other words….life is going to be tough. But God’s plan is to make it beautiful/meaningful either way.
So maybe the answer isn’t what to do with your life. But how to do your life.
The apostle Peter gives us an idea of what this looks like. (2 Peter 1:3-11)
Here’s the Apostle Peter’s 8 Steps to a Good Life
- Faith.
- Add Virtue.
- Virtue. Add knowledge.
- Knowledge. Add discipline.
- Discipline. Add persistence.
- Persistence. Add godliness.
- Godliness. Add friendliness.
- Friendliness. Add love.
Each step leads to the next.
For faith without virtue is unjust. Virtue without knowledge is ignorance. Knowledge without discipline is weak. Discipline without persistence is short lived. Persistence without Godliness is dull. Godliness without friendliness is cruel. And friendliness without love is lonely.
Peter said that God’s gift was for us to partake in His divine nature. What this means is that we participate in God’s plan. We are God’s hands and feet.
We stand in the presence of the divine and have the ability to love. To bring good news. To rescue the poor. To free the prisoners. To know what it means to be human. To know what it means to be children of God.
But it takes courage to live this kind of life. And I have to ask myself daily….Will I be brave? Do I have what it takes to stand in the face of peer pressure, job restrictions, government regulations, financial restraints, time commitments, and the most brutal of them all….apathy?
Joan of Arc lived her life with purpose. She had a vision. And she followed it to her death. The others in the story are merely bit players. Supporting actors to her performance. Even the prince, that would later become King, could not hold a candle to her. His name will be forgotten but hers….. will live on forever.
Her trial was a sham.
Her crime ludicrous.
Her penalty cruel.
Her death unjust.
But her life……
Several years after her death, the then Pope held another trial. He overturned her conviction. She would become a saint and martyr and would live forever….
Inside our hearts, our minds, and our souls.
One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying
—Joan of Arc
Maybe someday I’ll be more like Joan of Arc.
But until then,
It’s just like Drake said….. “God’s plan”
p.s.
I recently wrote a 30 day book of devotions and I’m currently in the editing stage. I know what you’re thinking….Hey doc, you’ve got no business writing a book of devotions. And you’re completely right. It’s a book for misfits like myself. Maybe it’s for folks with more questions than answers. If you’re a ragamuffin like myself, sign up for my newsletter on the home page because I’d love to let you know as soon as it’s ready.
p.p.s.
You don’t have to buy my book. Buy this one instead:
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