Good Growth.

Remember those growing pains? The pains of Mom no longer doing laundry for you? The pain of that first speeding ticket and using your entire summer paycheck to pay it off? The pain of your friends moving to new colleges?

I remember when I thought I was experiencing “growing pains”. I sit and take a look at my life now and realize I am truly in the beginning stages of these growing years, but man they are so good.

I recently found myself asking the Lord why he left me in a certain phase of life. Why didn’t He just step in like He can and pull a girl out? Ya know God, you can do that. But then I remembered all the times in the bible where the Lord let people struggle and live in the moment to show his sovereignty. When the disciples were in the boat while there was a storm raging on and Jesus was asleep…Jesus knew. He awoke and knew it was happening. So many times, God has let people experience a moment of the struggle to show only He can be what pulls us out and sets our feet back on solid ground.

Scripture tells story after story of how the Lord has been faithful and how His people have struggled for generations. I look to examples like Jesus, Job, Jacob, Esther, Paul, Habakkuk, Hosea, Jeremiah – so many people in the Bible who suffered and struggled with the Lord. Remind yourself of how the Lord was faithful to His people and that He will be faithful to you as well.

Like Jacob, as we wrestle and struggle with the Lord, we fight for more of God. The more I wrestle with him in the difficulties of life, the more I learn about what is true. I learn that we serve a God who is faithful and true. One who teaches us how to fight boldly and courageously. I learn that we serve a God who is faithful enough to wound. We serve a God who doesn’t shy away from pain and a God who is with us no matter what. We serve a God who brings purpose to struggle, pain and loss. We serve a God who wants to give us life abundantly, who wants us to thrive, not just survive.

I am so thankful for all of the moments I went thru this year to get to the point I am at today, because at this time today I feel so near to the Lord and his purpose for me.