No Biblical figure has brought me more irritation, strife, anger, or disdain than the apostle Paul. My self-righteous rants of the past regarding Paul have caused my family to joke that the main reason I won't get into Heaven will be because Paul is gonna be waiting at the gate to tell me, "I heard what you said about me, go back to purgatory, ma'am."

                  Over the past six months or so I've been praying to have some wisdom or knowledge sent down to me to help me have a change of heart towards him. I wanted to understand him better, or to at least come to terms with why he says I need to sit down and be quiet in church or have some peace at the thought that I just have to 'take his word for it' that he met Jesus and had a massive conversion. 

                  What has transpired in that endeavor is that I've learned a lot about him and from him. My hardened heart, the one that could find so much fault in him, has softened. I see him as a power evangelist, and I've learned that most of my assumptions and complaints weren't really with Paul when putting his teachings into context. 

                  Isn't this how it is often in life? That we learn the most from the most difficult people we encounter? The person that irritates us can teach us patience. The person who seems to snarl when we approach can be someone who needs our compassion the most. As people, we are quick to make snap judgements on what we've heard about someone, or we take our first impression of a person and set it in stone and subconsciously force that person to earn our favor, and we tell ourselves it's okay to do because of our 'intuition'. 

                  I'm going to put a challenge out there into the world today.

                  If you are not a Christian, or you already follow Christ but don't read the Bible much, I'd like you to find a Bible (you have a phone with access to any version you'd like, just choose and easy to read version for this, like the Revised Standard Version) and read the Gospel of Luke. It's in simple terms, in my opinion, and it really focuses not just on the apostles, but also women. Just give it shot, it can't hurt anything to take some time to read something that has had such an impact on our world for so long. 

                  If you are a Christian and you are pretty well versed in the Bible, take time today to read the part you dislike the most. Whether it's the content, the message, or the words just make your eyeballs shake in their sockets because you find it so tedious, set a timer for fifteen minutes and force yourself to read it anyway. Maybe, by going into something you normally avoid, you'll find something new that creates a spark to help you seek more clarity. 

                  We learn the most from our sufferings and challenges. Instead of avoiding those people, thoughts, or feelings, try to find something new in them. Your conversion might not be as extravagant as Paul's to everyone else, but on a personal level, it could be even bigger.