I note that the company that makes V 8 vegetable juice has begun to revive its “I coulda hadda V 8!” commercials. You know the script: Girl at desk sipping from a soft drink, colleague walks by with a V 8, she knocks herself on the forehead and offers the line, “I coulda...” Mother talking to her baby in a carriage, “Mommy’s having a French fry…” baby smacks her on the forehead, narrator obliges with the familiar line.

Aren’t we like that a lot of the time in our witness for Christ? Opportunities for speaking a word of truth pop up around us, but we only think about them after it’s too late. Will we ever get ahead of the curve on this?

Patrick did, of course. From the get-go in his mission to the Irish, he was ready with the Gospel and bold to preach it. As all pastors should, he provided an excellent example of virtue and goodness to go along with his ready witness, so it’s not surprising that the Lord used him to lead so many people to Christ in such a short time. Lead with your life, but keep your words at the ready. You’ll never have to knock yourself on the forehead if you practice in your life and words the reality of Christ’s Lordship over all of life.

Patrick was the light of truth to drive away the darkness of unbelief among the pagan Irish people. His example should encourage and instruct us all.

There’s much more to learn from our forebears in the faith, of course, in particular, those of the Celtic Christian tradition. Those four centuries of revival – from the middle of the 5th to the middle of the 9th century – remind us of the power that comes from fearing God and keeping His commandments, living sacrificial and self-denying lives, and worshiping God in ways that allow us to engage, exalt, enjoy, and emulate Him in all things. True happiness does not consist in the abundance of things; covetousness, we know, is idolatry, and the gateway to all sin. The full meaning of human life is to be found in knowing the Lord and going wherever He sends us to bring the grace and truth of Christ to others. The Christian life is one of preparing to serve, going in the strength of the Lord, and bringing every aspect of our lives under His gracious rule. This is where we grow in righteousness and discover real peace and lasting joy.

Let’s make every effort not to show up before the Lord one day, smacking ourselves on the forehead and saying, “Agggh - I coulda...” The opportunities to live our witness for Christ are available on every hand. The Gospel of the Kingdom is the Good News everyone needs to hear. Let’s keep our eyes open, our hearts eager, and our words and deeds ready to make the most of each one.

Frail Saplings 

Old stump, old archive of a faded past,
your rings reveal the barest hint of lean
and fruitful years. Across your surface green
moss here and there appears, implanted fast
upon the legacy that former years
bequeathed. And in your niches I can see
frail, struggling saplings, like you used to be
so many years ago. Old stump, who hears
your muted witness? Who takes time to heed
your subtle warning, to decode the clues
inscribed upon you, or to learn your views,
discern your wisdom, or embrace your creed?
  We stand, the frailest saplings, rooted on
  the legacy of generations gone.

From T. M. Moore, Fault Lines