Passing on the "Congratulations"

I got a lot of "congratulations" today. It was the day I've been waiting for--the day of my pastoral credentialing exam. For four years now, I've been studying on and off, questioning my calling on and off, and enduring hardship on and off, to get to this day. And now, the test is over. As I sat in the chapel at the ministry center today, awaiting the beginning of the test, I fought back tears knowing that I was in the right place and that God had called me there. There were no more questions about whether this was something I was supposed to do or not. I was IN the moment, and God was pleased.

Yes, there were a lot of "congratulations" sent my way today, but success wasn't achieved alone. First and foremost, without God this wouldn't have been a congratulatory day. But there were also many other people who encouraged me or contributed to my sense of achievement. So, today's act of kindness was to acknowledge their contributions. I made a special effort to thank them for their service to me today--yet another blessing from God to be able to do so.

Every June, I say "goodbye" to my 12th grade students as they graduate and move on into the world, and every June a couple of them acknowledge my help and encouragement along the way. It is a blessing to hear how God used me in their lives to give them a purpose or a blessing. I know just how good it feels to be a part of someone's life in a significant way. That is why it was a blessing to me to be able to give that feeling to others in my life today.

Will you consider your successes and those who helped you achieve them? Will you throw those "congratulations" back to them today? Not only will THEY be blessed, but you will be too!