GROWING PAINS

I always find it fascinating to listen to the stories of successful people who have overcome tremendous obstacles. It always gives me hope. I am inspired and moved. They are respected for their tenacity and insight. Hailed for their sticktoitiveness…once they’ve made it that is. It’s usually only after there is quite some distance between their failures and success that people want to hear what they have to say. No one really wants to hear from you on the road to where you’re going. No one wants to celebrate you when you are changing on the inside but all they can see is what you still look like on the outside. We have little patience for those on the journey, heck we have little patience for ourselves on the journey. It is too much of a contradiction and makes us extremely uncomfortable. God wants us to understand that life is nothing but a journey. He wants us to “be confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on until the day of Jesus Christ” Philippians 1:6.

The time between who you were and who you are becoming can be treacherous, scary, lonely and shaky. The key here is to understand it’s not necessary for others to get you. There will be time for that later and even then you will never please everyone. Even Jesus said “Whoever has ears, let them hear” . He knew not everyone would be in a place to receive. God gets you. Keep going. If we are not careful we can get stuck in regret. Regret at not being better. Regret at not having made better decisions. When tempted to give up respond as the Apostle Paul: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” Philippians 3:12-14.

You know you feel you are on the brink of something big! A breakthrough, a much-needed change, joy in the morning! So keep moving forward. Don’t be discouraged by the struggle. Do not allow yourself to be shamed. The ego is mean, vile, judgmental and cruel. Cruel to you and others. The ego does not want you to recognize that the God in you is capable of greatness. The ego knows that once you make the connection between your creator and the part of Him that lives in you that greatness will occur. The goal of your ego is to keep you from recognizing that connection by any means necessary. By having you focus on your shortcomings and the shortcomings of others, by anger, insecurity, selfishness, loneliness, arrogance, superiority, complacency, disappointment, discouragement etc…… All meant to distract and disconnect from the God within you. That part of you that recognizes that mediocre living and just going through the motions is not good enough.

Jesus said: “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. John 14:10-20 NIV.

Do you get what He is saying? Do you really? Read it again and again until you see it. You’ll know when you get it because it will send chills up and down your spine. It did mine! It’s not about you. It’s not about what you can or cannot do. It’s only about the God working in you. It’s not dependent on you. It’s only dependent on the connection you make to God working in and through you. Then you can get out of your own way and give yourself permission to proceed and succeed with God’s plan for your life. Once you make the connection that the Jesus in you won’t let you fail, that He will give you insight, inspiration, revelation and a purpose in which to utilize these gifts you will do greater things than He. Jesus has a way of showing you it’s not about you while at the same time making it all about you. NOW is the time to make that connection. Somebody needs what only YOU can bring to the table.

I know it can be hard when God uses our vulnerabilities, our mistakes and our weaknesses to teach us our biggest lessons. Remember, when you hesitate or doubt it’s just the ego encouraging disconnect from your creator, His creation and your creativity. But if God can take those unfortunate moments in our lives to make us better, if he can take our foolish decisions to make us wiser, more compassionate and empathetic, if He can take those moments to soften our edges and help us to be less judgmental than it will all be worth it. The struggle is really not the sad thing, what’s sad is never learning the lessons of the journey. Whether you have made many mistakes or very few. To live this life with no growth is the greatest tragedy. The next time you see someone struggling you may be witnessing God’s handiwork. Transforming His precious child into His image. Learn the lessons of the journey. You’ll need them.