The times is coming...4 weeks and counting until I finally graduate from college! It's only taken 5 years to complete a 4 year degree, but I think after changing majors I have done pretty good! When I think about it I realize that I have been in school, non-stop, for 18 years!!! There was kindergarten, then 5 years of college with no time off (besides the summer). So out of 24 years of life on this earth, 18 has been spent in the classroom! I have never really known anything else besides classes, teachers, homework, and tests. It is such a relief to finally end that stressful and straining routine and move on to something else. But, it also scares me!
I have never known anything but school. I have never known what it feels like to not know that you are going to class starting in August or January. I have never known what it feels like to be married without being a full-time student. School has always been a major part of my life and, in 4 weeks, it will become a thing of the past. This all may sound simplistic or trivial, but believe me it's scary!
Transitions are all in our lives. We move from childhood to adolescence, from adolescence to young adults, etc., etc. Within each of these periods are smaller transitions: changes in grades, changes in friends, change in jobs, promotions, family relationships, marriage, children. And then there are the smaller ones we take for granted: transitioning from training wheels to two wheels, learning to drive, actually getting your license. We are constantly facing transitions in our lives. We may not like some, we may welcome others. But we face them almost on a weekly basis!
There is another transition that we either take for granted or overlook all together: the transitions in our spiritual lives. We become Christians, and that is a big transition. But I will never forget one person who praised her child being baptized by stating, "I'm sure glad that's over!" Many of us treat our walk with Christ just like that. We make the transition into Christianity, but we sit down afterward and think that's it. But we seem to forget that Jesus tells a church that seems to be sitting down...
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16)
I have never known anything but school. I have never known what it feels like to not know that you are going to class starting in August or January. I have never known what it feels like to be married without being a full-time student. School has always been a major part of my life and, in 4 weeks, it will become a thing of the past. This all may sound simplistic or trivial, but believe me it's scary!
Transitions are all in our lives. We move from childhood to adolescence, from adolescence to young adults, etc., etc. Within each of these periods are smaller transitions: changes in grades, changes in friends, change in jobs, promotions, family relationships, marriage, children. And then there are the smaller ones we take for granted: transitioning from training wheels to two wheels, learning to drive, actually getting your license. We are constantly facing transitions in our lives. We may not like some, we may welcome others. But we face them almost on a weekly basis!
There is another transition that we either take for granted or overlook all together: the transitions in our spiritual lives. We become Christians, and that is a big transition. But I will never forget one person who praised her child being baptized by stating, "I'm sure glad that's over!" Many of us treat our walk with Christ just like that. We make the transition into Christianity, but we sit down afterward and think that's it. But we seem to forget that Jesus tells a church that seems to be sitting down...
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16)
Here is the bad news, never transitioning in our spiritual lives makes us lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. You're not cold because you have accepted the gift of salvation and have made the decision to become a Christian. But you are not hot either because you have don nothing since. Paul chastizes the Corinthians because when he first came to them, he gave them milk from scripture for nourishment, but they have not transitioned from milk to meat, from the basics to digging deeper and drawing nearer to God. Ask yourself this: how many times a day do you pray? How much do you read your bible (we could all work on this)? How much have you really grown closer to God since becoming a Christian? If you can't honestly say that you are any different (internally) from the day you became a Christian, then you are in danger of being lukewarm. Now, you don't have to be on fire and converting every person you come into contact with (in my opinion) Sometimes we can't find the strenght or courage or even the time to try to talk to every single person we know! But what I check myself on is my spiritual life: do I feel any closer to God now than when I first came to Him? Do I know anything more about Him and His Will now than before? Do I even have a desire to know more or to grow closer? That's probably the most important question! Many "Christians" feel fine not going anywhere, staying right where they are, without a desire to grow more, and that I believe is indeed lukewarm.
So, maybe transitions are not bad. Some are great for our lives, others are intimidating. But we can't avoid them. And if we avoid transitions in our spiritual lives, then please reference the above scripture...
So, maybe transitions are not bad. Some are great for our lives, others are intimidating. But we can't avoid them. And if we avoid transitions in our spiritual lives, then please reference the above scripture...
