If there would be one word to describe 2016, it’d be growth. I debated between using the word change or the word growth but they go hand in hand. With change, comes growth. And God has definitely been growing me over the past (almost) eight months. (How is it already the end of July?!)
Here are a few highlights of the bigger changes...
I moved (basically twice but that’s another story).
Family relocated over a thousand miles away.
I got married.
I changed my last name.
I got a new job.
I learned new financial habits.
I tried new treatments for my hands.
I started a new diet and lifestyle.
I started working from home again.
I started learning how to slow down and not overbook the calendar.
There’s a reason my head spins and I can’t fall asleep some nights.
Over the next several weeks, I’m hoping to dive deeper into some of these changes. I’m excited to share about the healthier lifestyle and working from home again. I’m a little scared to attempt writing about marriage. I’m thrilled to write about learning to live more slowly and intentionally. (Disclaimer: I’m only in the baby stages of every topic I just listed.) I’m dreaming about a new blog look and potentially a new blog name.
Tonight I’m focusing on the words growth and grow. Here is a definition I found for grow: “to spring up and develop to maturity”. This is what God commands us to do and helps us to do, often with crazy changes in circumstances or difficult trials or (usually) both of those things at the same time.
In order for change to product growth, we need to allow it to, we need to be teachable, and we need to not shrink back in fear.
Change is scary. I don’t like it. I like the comfortable and the normal. Slowly God is teaching me and giving me the grace to push through and past the fear, not run away from it.
Marriage is scary. Building a business from home is scary. Major lifestyle changes are scary.
I need to embrace the scary and learn from it and grow into the best that I can be, while daily seeking the grace, wisdom, and strength of the Lord.
Day by day, I’m learning to face it head on and not flee.
One decision at a time.
“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you.” 1 Thes. 3:12
“Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity…” Heb. 6:1
“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.” 1 Pet. 2:1-3
“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Pet. 1:5-8