Graduation: Level to Level Faith

     
"God works in mysterious way, His wonders to perform." It is not really a Bible verse but people really love to quote it. God does work in ways that man cannot understand and yes, He does want to do things that are loving, burden removing, and allows things to be put in our path that will challenge us to grow. That's our loving Father in Heaven. It has been my experience that we don't always appreciate the challenges when they come, nor do we exercise the champion within us to overcome.

In this season that so many people are experiencing the joys and relief of graduation. Watching the graduates sit nervously as the speaker stands at the podium, listening to words to be imparted. Vibrating the air with a wonderful message of hope, a quick look back over their accomplishments, and a glance at their immediate future planned many years ago Then that magical moment grads and parents all hold dear, the words "move your tassel to the other side". Wow, they made it.

A group of women that I gather with from time-to-time and I sat down to evaluate where we were at and what needed to change in our lives. Deep thought provoking and yank ya up by the bootstraps kind of questions that only your best friend would dare to ask. God has graduations for us at each level of development, but if we can't pass the test, we have to do a repeat. Once we learned that lesson, the lessons became a lot easier to complete. They were also easier because there was other people able to speak into our lives through knowledge, understanding, and wisdom which all comes from love--love of the God and love of each other including ourselves.

Watching some of our young people at graduation this year, there were comments similar to those in years past like, "I didn't think he/she would ever make it." Parents proud of their children's accomplishments but also that they were there for the journey. Then there are those who didn't have parents or loved ones to help them; it was sheer gut force that got them there. Goals and desires that were so strong that nothing would get in the way.

As Christians we have a loving parent, our Father in Heaven, who continually watches over us, sings to us, encourages us to do our very best. He goes further to give us dreams and visions of what life is to look like. He nudges us in the direction, leading our footsteps in the paths of righteousness so that our dreams and visions have an ordered manner. If we follow the nudging and words of the Lord, we can reach graduation at each level of development.

Are there things that you want to achieve that you just know that God has given you to do? There is a dear ministry associate with whom our ministry fasted for forty-days (20 days at a time) for a specific question and spiritual leading. At the end of the fasting and prayer we broke bread together, having a wonderful meal and he stated that he had indeed found the answer. We discussed it at great length and how to go about it for his success. We continued to hold him in prayer knowing that it was a reach beyond what he was comfortable with, but God had given him the assignment.

After about three weeks, he called and said it just wasn't going to work. He and I discussed other ways it could work, if he was willing to do some extra study and come to workshops. He realized that it was going to take work to accomplish the work God had given to him. It wasn't going to be as easy as the previous years and goals had been.

That's what school is like. Kindergarten was a breeze, First and Second grades had new challenges but high school was a real humdinger compared to the early years. It's like that in graduating from primary school in ministry and our faith walk. Graduation isn't just for the judgment before the thrown of God. Graduation is each link, each step higher and higher we go, deeper and deeper in our understanding of God and His Kingdom.

We are alert and ready for that crown and gown stage of our graduation in Christ, but do you sincerely walk the walk and talk the talk of your faith walk graduation? Do you put off today what might work better tomorrow even when the Holy Spirit is nudging you to do it NOW? That is like not passing the test and having to take it over.

Be encouraged to look at each day as graduation day, test day, or expansion day for your place in the Kingdom of God. Life is sweet when we are in His will and considering our ways to graduation.

Love and hugs,