HOW DO YOU SPIRITUALLY PREPARE FOR A NEW CHAPTER IN LIFE?

Earlier this week someone asked me about what I do to prepare spiritually for a deployment. I think he was looking for a profound answer or some three step program. But as I thought about how to answer his question I realized that my response was more of a "back to basics" kind of idea. It isn't anything complex or deep but it is vital for a Christian's everyday life and for anyone going on deployment or any other kind of life adjustment.

We all go through life changes. It could be a new job, new position, geographical change, deployment, marriage, new child, sickness, etc. Whatever it is, change happens to all of us multiple times throughout life. Most of us would agree that keeping our lives anchored in Christ is something that we "should" prioritize throughout life's changes. However, it seems like that is often easier said than done. Schedules get hectic, life is complicated, priorities get confused, and as a result, our relationships with God often suffer.

One answer to this problem comes from scripture and is pretty straight forward. John 15:4 says "Remain in me, as I remain in you." This is the chapter that talks about God being the vine and us being the branches; the basic idea is that we must stay plugged into the life of Christ to grow and bear fruit just as a vine's branches have to be attached to the vine in order to continue growing. One practical way to do this is to build a strong habit of routinely setting aside time to read the Bible and pray. I told the person asking me how to prepare for deployment that "if you aren't building spiritual habits right now, you will have a very hard time starting when you are on deployment." The point is that the best way to live and prepare for whatever might happen is to make your relationship with the Lord a priority now.

So what about you? Are you facing some kind of life change or do you have one coming up later this year? Are you consciously building habits of seeking the Lord daily? Are you spiritually prepared for whatever changes may come?

We often think we will make our relationship with God a priority some time in the future but the truth is all we have control over is the present, right now, today. What will you do?

Written By: Jonathan N, April 4, 2016

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