4 Levels of Study at God’s University

In my childhood, I wondered about my cause in life. What was I born to do? My teen years brought reflection on career choices and a university to attend.

Because I was sure of one thing. I wanted go to college and graduate with a degree.  

A field of study would help me become who I was meant to be in this world.

And I hoped to help others with my newfound purpose.

Lessons in the Classroom

So, entering East Tennessee State University at eighteen opened my eyes to all the possibilities.   

By my sophomore year, I chose to study leadership communications (a lover of oratorical contests, this was a good fit). Also studying sociology, I settled into my coursework. 

I thrived in communication courses like public speaking, debate (my husband discovered this soon in our marriage), and the art of persuasion and criticism (poor hubby).

A proud moment for my family when I walked across the stage in cap and gown for a bachelor’s degree.

Since graduation, I’ve held various jobs. Though some required my degree skills, others didn’t.

Here’s what I later realized. I came away from college with much more than lessons from the classroom. 

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Heaven is Real and Hell is Real

Heaven is real.

Books and movies often recount life after death experiences of people seeing heaven. These accounts touch our heart and imagination. The awe and wonder in the idea of heaven offers hope for a better world.

And with the unsettled state of our current world, we find comfort in the promise of heaven.

Sunday School Lessons 

Growing up, I remember Sunday School teachers and preachers talking about heaven. What the Bible said, how God dwells there, and the fascinating descriptions of the heavenly city as in Revelation 21.

The best part? Being in the presence of God.

And this, “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” Revelation 21:4b, NIV.

Yet, I heard about another place called hell.

Evangelists, church revivals, and songs all proclaimed this eternal world where the forces of darkness dwell. A place of separation from God. Where “no more” suffering isn’t promised but guaranteed (Matthew 13:50).

It was commonplace at church. Pastors worked the subject of both heaven and hell into sermons as much as possible. My husband also scripturally teaches on both places in eternity.

But in our culture, it grieves me to sometimes hear these places referred to as mythological, especially hell. Still further, it’s crushing when people tell someone in anger to go to hell.

Because if hell doesn’t exist, wouldn’t they say, “Go to heaven!”

Let’s consider how Jesus spoke about both heaven and hell.

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There’s Never Emergency Meetings in Heaven

I told you. There’s no emergency meetings in heaven.

I glanced at the clock in the hospital’s surgical waiting room. My heart raced faster than the second hand.

My daughter, Megan, needed a cyst removed from the back of her leg. She was only five-years-old at the time.

After a failed attempt in the surgeon’s medical office, we scheduled the procedure at the hospital.

Besides, what were they thinking? Expect a young child to lay on her stomach for medical staff to numb and perform the incision, removal, and stitching all while conscious? Really?

But my husband and I heard her cries and screams echo down the hallway.

So, the doctor advised to move to plan B—under anesthesia at the hospital. “She’s not going to cooperate for us to do it here at our offices.”

Well doc, I could have told you that.

Yet, I wished for another option besides deep sedation, not fond of plan A or B. Still, the cyst grew over the year the pediatrician said to watch it.

The cyst needed to come out. And it needed testing for cancer. I worried and fretted and paced.

You see, I’m a floor pacer, panicking in body and spirit. Especially with my children and family.

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Trading Up:15 Amazing Exchanges With God

In elementary school, I traded notebooks with a girl in my class. The pink and glitter cover dazzled and captured my attention.

But my notebook paled in comparison. So, I wondered why she ever agreed to such an uneven trade…to my trading up.

Have you ever traded and received the best end of the deal?

A few years ago, I begin praying prayers of exchange.

Lord, please exchange my infirmity with Your wholeness; and trade my empty for Your completeness. Amen.

Our relationship with the heavenly Father is always about trading up. Because what we trade pales in comparison to what He provides in return.

Our _______ for His ________.

Here’s 15 of those uneven trades with God straight from the Bible.

Trading Up

1.) Our lack for His bounty.

“You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance” Psalm 65:11, NIV.

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