My mom often reminds me of all the times I was younger and would wake up crying in the middle of the night because of how bad my legs hurt. Nine times out of ten (if they didn\u2019t hear me crying yet) I would find myself headed down to my parents\u2019 room at about 3am, asking if one of them could rub my legs and take away the pain.<\/p>\n
Growing pains. Legs aren\u2019t the only thing that experience growing pains.<\/p>\n
Life has growing pains, too.<\/p>\n
If my six-year-old self didn\u2019t grow, I wouldn\u2019t be where I am today.<\/p>\n
God created our bodies to grow, flourish, endure pain, encounter wins, accomplish, work, serve\u2026etc.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to accept and understand that \u201cgrowth often means pain or uncertainty\u201d. Paul boldly reminds us in 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10, \u201cMy grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.\u201d Therefore, I will boast more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ\u2019s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ\u2019s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
God is not absent in uncertainty, in fact, I believe that is when He shows Himself the most powerfully. Uncertainty is uncomfortable and scary, but when we face uncertainty, it yields us the opportunity to be solely dependent on the one who knows the outcome. And trust that His plan is greater than ours.<\/p>\n
If you look back at the lives of the prophets\u2014from Moses to Elijah to Jonah\u2014their lives were often lived in uncertainty. Much like us.<\/p>\n
God nudged them to unknown places\u2014from wildernesses to mountain tops, but He was there each step along the way. God gave them the words to say and the provision they needed.<\/p>\n
And just like us, they too had to learn and grow. And even in the uncertainty, God made that happen.<\/p>\n
And yes, while knowing what the future would be great, we would miss out on the growth God has for us in the present and reliance on Him being instilled within us.<\/p>\n
We can be confident that even through life\u2019s growing pains, the Lord\u2019s strength is our gain.<\/p>\n
Think about one of your biggest \u201cgrowth experiences\u201d\u2026 I guarantee it brought some pain, hardship, or heartbreak. I can speak from experience, it 100% has for me.<\/p>\n
I am currently navigating through some growing pains, myself. And I\u2019m here to remind you, even through the pain, confusion, plot twists and countless emotions.<\/p>\n
He remains. His words remain. His strength remains. His grace is sufficient for you, in every season. Every unknown. Every circumstance.<\/p>\n\n\t\t