Baby Steps
I am sure that the good work God began in you will continue until he completes it on the day when Jesus Christ comes again. (Philippians 1:6)
We can sometimes feel like we aren't going to get to where we hoped to get to, finish what we hoped to finish, or just accomplish that one big thing we set in our sights. What we do with those moments determines if we will ever direct our focus toward it long enough to see it completed. We cannot think of having to "rest" in between the spaces or seasons of "accomplishing stuff" as a negative thing. I think God purposefully gives us some seasons in our lives where we kind of "coast" for a while because he knows we'd be overwhelmed if he didn't. He knows our personality and our emotional make-up. Just because you need to step back for a moment, don't be defeated - God isn't finished!
The seasons of emotional, physical, and spiritual frenzy would be our undoing if they continued on and on. Don't you think it is reasonable that God gives us "pauses" in our growth? It isn't that we aren't still soaking in his nourishment and provision - it is just that we aren't growing at the same pace as we were when we were in that "push forward" kind of determination. We just want to be sure we don't stop growing all together! That would signify something we have come to appreciate as "death"! Slowed growth doesn't mean we are about to die - it means our bodies, minds, spirits, and emotions have been under enough "pressure" - we need to rest and renew.
God begins good things in us all the time. They are like the tiny seedlings I find springing up in my garden from the seeds planted there much earlier. They aren't strong enough to survive yet, but they are signs of life and of more to come. In examining our lives, we find lots and lots of signs of life - promises of more and more to come. We should not lose heart when we don't see those things coming at the pace we might have imagined! Focus on the small goals and they will mount up to help you realize the bigger ones. We can count on one thing - God isn't finished with us. He may be giving us seasons of rest, followed by some intense seasons of growth, but he won't stop until he brings us to the place he desires for us to be. We might want to focus on the fact we don't feel growth occurring right now, but he is focusing on getting us rested for the growth opportunity he has coming for us just around the corner! Just sayin!
We can sometimes feel like we aren't going to get to where we hoped to get to, finish what we hoped to finish, or just accomplish that one big thing we set in our sights. What we do with those moments determines if we will ever direct our focus toward it long enough to see it completed. We cannot think of having to "rest" in between the spaces or seasons of "accomplishing stuff" as a negative thing. I think God purposefully gives us some seasons in our lives where we kind of "coast" for a while because he knows we'd be overwhelmed if he didn't. He knows our personality and our emotional make-up. Just because you need to step back for a moment, don't be defeated - God isn't finished!
The seasons of emotional, physical, and spiritual frenzy would be our undoing if they continued on and on. Don't you think it is reasonable that God gives us "pauses" in our growth? It isn't that we aren't still soaking in his nourishment and provision - it is just that we aren't growing at the same pace as we were when we were in that "push forward" kind of determination. We just want to be sure we don't stop growing all together! That would signify something we have come to appreciate as "death"! Slowed growth doesn't mean we are about to die - it means our bodies, minds, spirits, and emotions have been under enough "pressure" - we need to rest and renew.
God begins good things in us all the time. They are like the tiny seedlings I find springing up in my garden from the seeds planted there much earlier. They aren't strong enough to survive yet, but they are signs of life and of more to come. In examining our lives, we find lots and lots of signs of life - promises of more and more to come. We should not lose heart when we don't see those things coming at the pace we might have imagined! Focus on the small goals and they will mount up to help you realize the bigger ones. We can count on one thing - God isn't finished with us. He may be giving us seasons of rest, followed by some intense seasons of growth, but he won't stop until he brings us to the place he desires for us to be. We might want to focus on the fact we don't feel growth occurring right now, but he is focusing on getting us rested for the growth opportunity he has coming for us just around the corner! Just sayin!
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