It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I graduated. Here’s how my life is looking now:
✅ Sins forgiven through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross
✅ Adopted into the family of God as his son
✅ Sealed for redemption by the Holy Spirit
✅ My hope stored up in heaven where thieves don’t break in and steal
✅ God faithfully carrying on the work he began in me, bringing it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus
✅ God working all things for my good
✅ Striving daily by the Spirit to put to death the misdeeds of the body and to love Jesus through obedience to his commands
✅ Have the Word of God in my own language to help me know God and obey him
✅ In a faithful church
☐ Become perfect (not till Christ comes)
☐ Earned God’s grace (never will)
☐ Gone a single day without needing to repent
☐ Lived a single day where nothing went wrong
☐ Sheltered from all sorrow
☐ Sheltered from all pain
☐ Sheltered from all sickness
☐ Sheltered from all trouble
☐ Sheltered from all the earthly consequences of my own sin
☐ Never tested and afflicted through the devil’s evil schemes
☐ Never disciplined by my loving Father
☐ At peace with everybody on the planet
☐ Satisfied with all my relationships
☐ Sinned against nobody
☐ Misunderstood by nobody
☐ Hated or disliked by nobody
☐ Always proclaimed the gospel at every open door
☐ Served everyone I had the opportunity to serve
☐ Met all my financial goals
☐ Met all my fitness goals
☐ Landed my dream job
☐ Ready to start grad school
☐ Figured out what I’m going to do with my life
☐ Figured out what’s next
☐ Written my next novel
☐ Learned all the instruments
☐ Watched all the shows
☐ Read all the books
☐ Visited all the places
☐ Done everything on my bucket list
☐ Cleaned my desk
☐ Had my every wish granted and my every prayer answered as I saw fit
And what have I to complain about? Looks to me like I already have everything I need. All glory be to God for that! Trust God and excel still more (1 Thes. 4:1).
By the way, last year I shared a series of my favorite papers I wrote for my undergrad degree. You can read them here: Favorite Undergrad Papers.