Submitted by Rev. Andrew Sanders, Fairfax United Methodist Church

2 Corinthians 13:14 – The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Here we are at the end of April, seeing the buds of new life spring forth on trees, shrubs, and flowers pushing out of the ground. This is a time of change and growth not only in the world around us but also in our personal worlds. Graduations are taking place and plans are being put into motion as many of our graduating seniors are looking towards what the future holds for them. This is an exciting time for our kids to go into the world and bud into who God has created them to be.

This can also be a time of growth for each of us whether we have graduating seniors or not. God continually calls us to grow closer to Him through our relationship with Jesus Christ and others. How is Christ calling you to “bud out,” grow this season? Maybe you’ve been out of church for awhile and He is calling you into fellowship with other believers. Maybe God is calling you to dive deep into His word to share with others. Maybe Christ is calling you to Him and you’re hearing for the first time. The list could go on but I have a feeling that you know where God is tugging on your heart today. Maybe it’s time to let God grow you in mighty ways.

Through our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness, God’s Spirit causes changes in us and those that we are in fellowship with. If you are not part of a church family, I encourage you to find one so that you can strengthen the ministries of that church, and also so that you may be strengthened and blessed by the presence of God they may bring into your life.