The Next Level

Our youngest son graduates from high school in a few weeks. It's a landmark time for him -- and for my husband and me.

We're all looking forward to this new phase of our lives, and our hearts are full of wonder and anticipation as to where God will lead us.

All of us reach pivotal points in our lives where we seek to move to the "next level." I often hear Christians talk about how they hope to take their faith to the "next level."

Just what does that mean, anyway?

I've given that a lot of thought lately, and I've come to the conclusion that there is only one place to start (and return often!): On our knees -- maybe even prostrate before our Heavenly Father. Only there can we humbly surrender to His will for our lives. Quite possibly we'll find that we need to shake off a lot of what we've been doing so that we can be still before Him and remember that He is the only One who deserves to be glorified.

Do I want our son to be a hard-working productive young man? You bet! But my desire for him isn't worldly fame or riches. More than anything I want him to fully rely on Jesus -- the author and perfecter of his faith -- and to live out his faith by obeying God and loving others.

And I'm going to make sure to let him know that sometimes God moves us to the "next level" by taking us down a peg or two so that we don't get so high on ourselves that we forget to look up to Him.

Cindy Gray

Peeling Grapes

Especially when he was teething, our baby loved grapes. Problem was, he didn't have the choppers to chew the tough skins, so I carefully peeled, seeded and quartered the juicy morsels while the drooling child bounced in his high chair and slapped the tray in anticipation of the soothing treat.

"Son," I'd say, "when you're a teenager and think that I'm your enemy, I'm going to remind you of this so that you know how much I have always loved you."

By God's grace those teen years were never so rough that he called me his enemy, but there were times when I should have quietly sat down with him, peeled him a grape, and told him that I loved him. I think he would have gotten the message a lot more clearly than by my redundant harping about things I felt he needed to know or do.

Simple acts of kindness can be tremendous acts of love. Ask someone who's lonely. Watch someone with a spouse with Alzheimer's disease. Take note of parents with a handicapped child. Learn from the one person who knew how to comfort you when you were grieving.

It doesn't take a million dollars to love somebody. And it doesn't take more time than it takes to peel a grape.

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:3

Cindy Gray