A friend recently mentioned to me that there are five main events or passages in life that take someone out of church or sidelines him from anything approaching effective participation in church ministry. Those events are high school graduation, college graduation, marriage, career change (transfer, promotion, etc.), the birth of a child. I might add divorce to that list of crises, but you get the point.
For the most part, sin's essence is self. Therefore, when a crisis event occurs in the various seasons of life a challenge is presented by God so that He can be greatly glorified by the choices one makes to deny self in preference to Him. Jesus echoed this principle when He said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me," Matthew 16.24. So, what crisis event will take you out of play, so to speak? Will it be the new freedom that comes to a high school graduate? Will it be the even greater freedom you experience as a college graduate? Perhaps it will be the diversion of a spouse or a child. It may also be a new career or a promotion or transfer. Sometimes the heartache of divorce or the freedom from a horrible marriage provokes one to stop attending church or to begin attending elsewhere.
Someone once spoke of character being related to what it takes to stop you. I have often spoken of spiritual behavior typically being planned behavior. As you anticipate a crisis event in your life (or as you prepare for the unanticipated), decide that nothing will be allowed to break your stride, be it a graduation, a marriage, a birth, a divorce, or something job-related. For God's glory and for Jesus' sake, you will press on in service and ministry in your church.
