Growing Pains Part 2

It amazes me how God works sometimes. Even now, after all this time, He still surprises me. I cannot even put into words how much movement has been happening in my life these last few months. He has introduced me to new relationships, new positions, and new emotions. I am somewhat floored by some of them for I feel a little out of my league at times. But that's when He sweetly reminds me why He chose me. It is because He likes to use the small to show His grander. He uses those that are often times overlooked to create something of significance.

Everyday is an opportunity to lay down that which causes us to rely on self. We are born with natural tendencies to seek power and control. For some, that is born out of the feeling of once being powerless, and for others it's the need to be looked at with envy and appreciation. But at the end of the day, that very same desire is what causes us to build a wall between us and our creator, which denies us the ability to really live out our purpose. That self righteous motive that tells us we are entitled to happiness, good fortune, and peace. Which is the exact lie the snake told Eve in the garden. If we were given what we earned, we would have a lifetime of pain and suffering and an eternity separated from our creator. That is the punishment for sin, which we all commit on a daily basis. So what do we do? how do we rectify things? We don't. We can't. We understand our position and humbly thank God for His mercy and grace. That's what we hold to when life gets tough. We throw entitlement out the window and ask God where we go from there...

That's where I've been for the past few years. In that lowered postured position asking God "now what?" Seeing how He constantly placed me in difficult circumstances to refine my ability to obey is obvious now. Realizing the tears and submission were necessary tools used to strengthen my faith muscles. Learning to quiet the distracting voices that told me I wasn't enough and responding with "HE IS THOUGH!" Taking my new normal is not just walking through it, but embracing it helped me move from my comfort zone to a place of complete and utter dependence. Cause at this point, it doesn't matter what others think. It only matters that I SEE and obey at every turn because it's not about me...or you...it's about Him and the bigger plan, which far exceeds anything I can imagine.

So Yes, growing pains... they are required on this journey. They will rip, pull, pierce, and tear out all our natural instincts until we became a new creation. They hurt beyond human explanation, and if we aren't careful, can be exploited or twisted before they hit their full potential. But if they are acknowledged for the good they provide, they can blossom into a story that will forever change our generation and alter all those we encounter. His most amazing plan involves us as the tangible hands and feet to those around us and if we don't allow the weariness of our heart to overcome the vision He has shown us, mighty things will form right before our very eyes...