Growing

The most amazing thing has happened this afternoon – the sun came out! Now, that might not sound so “amazing” to you, but it has been cold and cloudy for the past few days in southeast Missouri, and the sun was a welcome sight! But when you think about it – it wouldn’t have been such a big deal if we had not gone through such gloomy weather first. One of my dear friend’s favorite sayings is “Grow Through What You Go Through.” Whether we like it or not, life happens, but it’s how we deal with this rollercoaster that we call life that makes us who we are.

I know that when you feel overwhelmed and “buried under,” then, it’s easy to ask “Why me, Lord? Why did this happen to me?” But, have you ever asked, “Why not me, Lord?” We live in a physical world where “things happen” due to natural disasters or the laws of nature. We live in a social world with other people that we cannot control – we can only control our actions and how we react to the world around us. Just as a butterfly will never survive unless it struggles to get out of the cocoon, we will “grow through what we go through.” When you feel like you’ve been buried and you can’t see the sunshine, perhaps you’ve been carefully planted in a place where you can put down strong roots to stabilize you as you grow towards “the Son.” Without clouds, we would never see a rainbow. Without coming to the realization that we’re in sin and we need to make some life changes, we will never know the “joy of our salvation” (Psalm 51:12).

May you study God’s Word to learn “His Will,” for He said, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). We must trust in His promise to “never leave us nor forsake us” (Hebrews 13:5) as we “grow through what we go through.” Simply blessed, Courtney