"Grow through what you go through."
Trust the process.
So often we look at our lives through a zoomed perspective.
A perspective focused on the details and the what if's? or what could this be?
A perspective wreaking havoc on our minds because we can't quite seem to figure it all out.
A perspective so close that we can't even seem to see anything clearly, at all.
If you have ever seen the movie Soul Surfer, and the scene with the walnut, you would know what I am getting at.
It's like looking into a double-sided mirror. One side is normal and when you look at yourself, nothing changes. On the other side, it is magnified and your reflection all of a sudden becomes something you never wanted to see. Up close and personal. Flaws magnified. Pores, and all. It's all there. So, we flip the mirror and go back to looking at the normal. The big picture.
How come when it comes to a mirror we are so ready to flip our perspective? But when it comes to life, it takes us forever to actually zoom out.
Zooming in on your growing process is not a bad thing. In fact, in some ways, it can be very healthy. It is important to look at the at the brokenness and use it to see God's glory and His goodness.
However, it's when we stay there and we torment ourselves with the flaws. With the brokenness of the process. We begin to criticize every step. Every word and every struggle. As if the growing process is beautiful all the time.
However, this couldn't be further from the truth.
The growing process is all a part of the bigger picture of being set apart. God chisels away at us the more we begin to walk with Him.
But being set apart hurts because it means you are being ripped from all you are were ever imprinted to know. The root of you lies Jesus but it's covered with the worlds weak soil that prevents you from growing.
And sometimes, more often than not, Jesus needs to rip the root, and put it somewhere where the world's soil won't hinder you. Where the soil is no longer defying your growth, but withering away at your strength.
Growing through what you grow through means different things to different people.
But growing through what Jesus carries you through is a whole other story.
Jesus NEVER leaves us in times of pain. In times of growth. Or in times of shame.
In times of joy. In times of shine. Or in times of peace and in times of decline.
Jesus brings life. Everything He touches is alive in His presence.
And just like He carried the cross.
He carries your life and He carries your process.
He cares. He cares for you through the growth and He seeks you out through the pain.
Finding joy in a painful process isn't easy. But a shift in perspective creates the growth to be productive.
Productive in actively pursuing Christ through and through no matter what.
It's all about His loving pursuit of your heart.
He would never grow you if He knew you couldn't handle it. He would never push you if He knew you would fall and not get back up.
He would never call you if He thought you couldn't do it.
The Fathers' heart is for YOU. Not against you.
Growth can be painful. But growth is also beautiful.
It's a ricochet process that turns a seed into a redwood forest. Tall and strong. Roots for miles.
A seed planted by Him. Watered by Him. And nurtured by Him. This is the best kind of growth.
He loves us in the process and We trust Him in the midst.
I pray that you trust God in whatever you are facing today. He knows your heart and He hears your prayers. Don’t lose faith in the process. Trust Him through it.
All my love,
Sarah
