The month of May … commonly known as the end-of-year graduating month … is over. Unless you live on Mars, you undoubtedly have attended or been invited to many graduation services for high school or college. We celebrate the accomplishments of these young folks while those of us much older have earned a lot of much-needed rest!
I remember my own graduation. I had made it … my pinnacle of achievement … I could coast from hereon (not!). I suppose that’s human nature. Now, decades later, I realize the initial graduation was the first of many accomplishments, the biggest of all – life!
Graduating is difficult … it’s meant to be. It’s easy to graduate without taking the required classes. But without taking the classes, there’s no way to be ready for the tests; without a test, there’s no graduation. It’s the same with our faith: it would be foolish to think that we can graduate to maturity and completeness in the Christian life before taking the courses and going through the tests.
The biggest tests come to us throughout our earthly life. The duration of our “test” is the duration of our lives. Our test lasts until Christ returns or calls us home, so here is a call to remain steadfast to the end.
It is this perspective and this promise that transform how we meet the most difficult times of our lives. When we understand that the whole of our life is a series of one test after another, it gives us an opportunity to think seriously and realistically about what we go through. We can know with confidence that ahead of us lies the crown of eternal life with Jesus and that our trials are opportunities to learn perseverance and grow in Christlikeness, proclaiming to the world that the one whom we are walking toward is sufficient, not just for life but also for joy.
The Christian life has no simulation phase to prepare us for the real thing; it is a real-time experience all the time, every day. We’re not afforded the opportunity to find out exactly how we will parent our children, deal with the sudden loss of a loved one, or react to whatever else might come our way until these things actually come our way. These are the real-life courses we must take to graduate on to spiritual maturity. What trials are you walking through today? These are the classes, unchosen by you though they may be, which the Lord knows will enable you to persevere and will prepare you for your crown. As, by His grace, you remain steadfast in the storms today, remember that you are “blessed,” not with the false blessing of an easy life now but with the eternal blessing of the “crown of life” to come.
Whether young or old, we should live a life with passion. We should live a life with humility. We should live a life with purpose. Our lives don’t belong to us. There’s been a great exchange made – Christ gave His life for us.
Scripture tells us in James 1:12: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
Debby Efurd is co-founder of Cary John Efurd Ministries. Learn more about the ministry by liking our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CJEMinistries) and downloading our FREE mobile app (get.theapp.co) from App Store or Google Play. Once downloaded, allow notifications to keep you up to date on what’s happening in Cary John Efurd Ministries. Debby can be contacted at caryjohnefurdministries@gmail.com
