Diapers, Diplomas, Disciples

This past week I took a new step on the journey of life. I watched my oldest son receive his High School diploma. It was a very surreal feeling. I'm expecting it to hit me even more when he moves away to college in the fall.
As hard as it is to watch your child develop wings you realize this is the way it is supposed to be. A healthy child does not remain in diapers for a lifetime. A child becomes an adult and is hopefully equipped to handle life on their own. Receiving a diploma is just one aspect of a process of training and preparation that we have been committed to for the past eighteen years. As hard as it is to watch our child leave us, we wouldn't want it any other way. It is the healthy thing to do.
Making disciples that make disciples is very much like raising a child. The time spent training and teaching a disciple is all a part of a process of preparing them to go out on their own. This is exactly what Jesus did and it is exactly what He expects us to do. God's plan is to see spiritual birth take place and spiritual growth follow until that person is ready to spiritually reproduce. That is the healthy thing to do.
I want to encourage you to make a spiritual investment in someone that will become a multiplying disciple of Jesus Christ. Be willing to do the hard work of training, teaching ,and equipping that person to be a disciple that builds more disciples. Few things compare to watching someone you disciple make another disciple! Take the next step in your spiritual journey. Become a disciple maker. I dare you!
On a side note, I developed a resource for my son as he prepares to start college this fall. It is a 30 day study filled with life lessons that relate to college life. Someone suggested I make it available to others so we printed it into a booklet and it is available through Impact Ministries. Let me know if you would like to order some copies.