Growing in God

I had many ideas for blog posts on Wednesday; which is super great, because sometimes I don’t have any ideas. I have a few posts in the process of getting ready to be published. While we wait, here is this one. I’m excited for this post.

This isn’t going to be super long. I just wanted to pass this tidbit out there, because I think it needs to be said.

Like flowers, we all grow at different rates. In different seasons. We sometimes wilt in

the harsh winters, but some of us come back in the spring. We’ve all been planted in the soil. Sometimes it’s not reliable and we have to move. But we do our best to grow. And it’s not a season by season fight. There is a daily storm inside of us. Others may not see the growth, pain, death, and other situations until later. But that doesn’t mean they’re not there.

Trees have the same battles. Humans have these battles. Flowers battle. Everyone has a battle. A pace at which they grow. A season where they are scraping by. And then when the hard work is paid off, you are better than the last year. Bigger. Stronger. Happier.

 

You know what I like about this GIF? Not only does it show the process of it growing, but the process of it decaying. It’s a natural thing. Many people say “I don’t like fall because some trees look dead while others are colorful.” Isn’t that what makes fall…well, fall? A part of the “deadness” is a part of what makes us appreciate life, (thus spring).

The process of growing in God is much like this. It’s an amazing parallel. You’ve got times when you’re on top of the world. Your faith has never been stronger. You feel like you can fly. And other times when you’re convinced you’re the new Joseph, (thrown in prison). But, if you’re “thrown in prison” or “sold by your brothers” you could also be 2nd in command at Egypt. Every negative situation has a positive side. It may take a bit to get there, but it doesn’t mean the positive side isn’t there. It means it takes time. Like the seasons.

God uses hard times to make good times better. He uses them so we see the light in a new way, in a way we haven’t seen it before.

What’s cool about God, among other things, is that He sees the future. We can’t. That’s what makes us finite, (again) among other things. It’s hard to accept you don’t know everything or you can’t control everything in your path (especially if you are one to have a plan or be stubborn). Trust me, I understand. I’m both of those things. In abundance. But, I also like to “let loose” my worries sometimes and do something spontaneous. And that I get from my mother. She isn’t a super planned or scheduled person.

The weird thing about that is we are so different, but so alike. I think, also, many people tried to change that about her as a home school mom. And it’s not about “changing who she is” but adapting to it and making home school even better from it. She didn’t have to change who she was, she built our education around it; true, with some negatives, but who doesn’t have those? I don’t regret her not being rigid and super scheduled. Life is a balance of the two. And I have the perfect example of that in my own home. (cool!)

Do you have trouble with not knowing the future?

You could always ask. It doesn’t mean God is obligated to tell you, but if you want to know…let your desires be known to God. And if they align with His plans, they will come to light. And you will know. You can always ask, and God will always give an answer. Sometimes the answer isn’t what we wish it to be, but that doesn’t mean we can discount the answer (like many people do.)

You don’t have to know your future. You don’t have to be sure, sometimes you shouldn’t be. God has a plan for your life and we don’t have to knit our own. He already has it all laid out and one day, at the end, He will turn it all around and we will see. But as Aragorn said, “But, it is not this day!”

I know I got a couple of LOTR nerds to laugh. 😉

That’s all I wanted to say. Coming up: I have the month review post, levels of love post, and a post about books!

Thanks for reading. What do you think?