Phases & Stages
Part 1
“I was born . . . at a very early age!” We, each of us individually have a history. I have a history.
My point – I have not stayed the same. I have changed! Since I came out of the womb, I have changed a LOT! In addition, I have changed a LOT since I became a Christian on October 20, 1975. I was grateful then, and I am grateful still. Jesus is my Savior, my Lord, my brother, my friend, and my KING! I shudder to think what my life would have been if I had not cried out to Him, or if I had not continued to walk with him through the years.
During those years, I have been through some things, as we all have. If we all just listened to each other’s stories, we would probably find that we have had many similar experiences. I am writing this series to discuss some of the growth “phases & stages” we may go through and the wonderful and beautiful things we can gain from them.
The Amazement Phase (Sometimes called the “honeymoon” phase. )
When we first meet Jesus – we are simply amazed that we have such an awesome, loving God and that He accepts us, loves us, and forgives us. We are so grateful to Him for all He has done. We go through a time of ecstasy and exultation! It is euphoric, it is WONDERFUL, and it is supernatural as if our feet are not even touching the ground.
We can go through this phase once – or multiple times. We can actually repeat it when we learn a new truth that changes our lives. Again, we are grateful and enjoy that euphoria all over again.
This phase comes with its own built-in beauty – we don’t have to work for it – we don’t even have to look for it – but it is there, and it is beautiful.
The Reality Phase
Then there comes a time when our feet DO hit the ground, and we face the reality of our own personal struggle. God has not changed! We are just becoming aware that even though we have been changed, we still have more growing to do – and that is not always pleasant, is it? We not only have to deal with ourselves (which is difficult enough all by itself), we have to deal with all these other . . . people! Moreover, these . . . people . . . they are not perfect either! So we not only have our stuff to deal with, we have other people’s stuff to deal with – and sometimes it’s our own husbands or our children, or our friends, or even (Eeeeeek!) our pastor!
Before we met Jesus, we handled these things differently. Now, we have a Savior and King who has a better way of dealing with things! We learn that His ways are higher than our ways. God does not change, but we do! This is a life-long journey, worth every effort we put into it.
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