Stage 1: Life as Usual.
Here we are, sitting at home, enjoying a show, watching our kids, eating a meal when WHAM!!!! The phone rings with life-changing news or we witness something on TV or an article that changes our perceptions. Either forcefully or volunteer, we see the need for action. We have to move from where we are to where the resistance or change is pushing us.
For many people, it is stage they freeze on. They can hear an inspirational message, witness a great human tragedy or experience a painful loss, but the feeling of action or overcoming fades into a mix of self-pity and denial. Simply put, many people live on the edge of true accomplishment, but their ego and comfort push them back into the easy chair and back into the routine. For them, their physical death will be only be the locking of the door to a house left empty and abandoned a long time ago.
Stage 2: Call to Adventure.
But sometimes the Call to Adventure can be so great and inspiring, we heed the call and move away from Life as Usual. These are exciting times as fresh ideas and thoughts begin to fill our minds and parts of us we long forgotten surface with new found energy and excitement.
The Call to Adventure should be an ever-present call in every person’s life. God, in His Highest Wisdom, designed each of us with a competitive gene (if you don’t think so, how about the family fights over the Scrabble Board?) that can only be fulfilled by answering the Call to Adventure. That call can be a mission field, a new job, getting married or pursuing a degree. The Call to Adventure is on everyone.
The sad part of the Call to Adventure is that for many people, the Call came and left. They talk about their life accomplishments in a “past tense”, often giving the year (1955, 2005) like some kind of a moniker. But in the end, we are being called each day and each moment to stretch out and dive for another adventure.
Stage 3: Trials and Tribulations.
Here is where we start thinking “What the hell am I doing out here?” The first moment that 98 mph fastball comes whizzing by, thoughts of running right back to the easy chair come quickly to mind. But this is the most crucial and beneficial part of the process.
It is the resistance we overcome that establishes the value we receive from our trials and tribulations. Removing obstacles and idols from our path bring us the highest degree of lasting and ongoing fulfillment possible. God knows this, and that helps us understand why He allows these challenges. We derive great pleasure from overcoming.
When we face pressure, when we feel the resistance and it seems huge, we can celebrate the fact that whatever reward lies on the other side must be amazing. The Scriptures teach us that God will not place us in a situation we cannot overcome, so when we feel overwhelmed, we need to look and see what additional pressures we are adding.
Stage 4: The End Result.
When the process ends, either in victory or defeat, the End Result appears. This is the Effect and not the Cause. Many people, including myself, struggle with the fact that you cannot pass the test or grow spiritually unless you search for the Cause. We spend so much time pushing back on the Effect. The End Result is the Effect! I keep hearing people talk about fixing the fruit! Don’t try and fix the fruit, instead, stop planting fruit seeds!
No matter where you may be, these stages are in your life. The faster we recognize their purpose and start putting them to work for us instead of against us, we can begin to secure fulfillment and happiness for ourselves and more importantly, for those around us.
Stay Connected and Share Ruthlessly!
David Fournier in the Senior Instructor at Restoring Grace. David teaches classes on Hebraic Perspectives, Early Christian Communities and New Testament Formations and Canon. David is available for your church, youth group, seminars and retreats. Email David at: dfour26@gmail.com
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