Growing.

When I was little, faith was simple. I grew up in a Christian home, as a the daughter of a preacher no less. I was saved at a young age, & I never had a day where I didn't know the name of Jesus. I've just kind of always believed. But it was much simpler back then. Now that I'm older I'm starting to see how that faith plays out on a much deeper level. I'm seeing how His love is truly expressed in so many areas of life. I'm able to recognize & connect things in Scripture that I couldn't before. I'm growing.

Looking back on when I was younger makes me realize how much I've changed since then. I've grown up & made a lot of new goals. Goals to truly improve myself. To improve my walk with Christ. To become a better version of myself, every single day on this earth. The way I see it, every day puts us either closer to where we want to be, or puts us one step backwards. There isn't much of a medium. Either we're growing or we're drifting. Because the longer we're not growing, that time as a whole would definitely count as drifting. So to me it just makes sense to aim to grow.

It takes realizing that the things that hold us back every day, whether it be our attitude, our fears, our prejudice, our selfishness; these things need to be left behind. If we continue to carry them with us day to day, struggling against them all the while, they continue to hold us back. It's time to overcome these & leave them behind. Until we get tired enough of the same old struggles that we allow ourselves to fall into time & time again, they will continue to hold us back. But the thing is, as much as we want to hold on to whatever it may be, the Lord has so much more for us once we let go.

I don't want to go throughout my life dealing with the same things. We will always have struggles, but the sign of growth is that we overcome our struggles & grow from them! We come out stronger, & with deeper faith. If we continue dealing with the same things, we aren't growing, & what a miserable state it is to continue to suffer the same things & never prevail over them. The thing is, God is more than willing to help us learn how to grow from our trials, & even celebrate in them. That is so awesome to me. That's something I'm really trying to do, is to look for the good in everything. In trials, in heartbreak, in tragedy, in brokenness, & in broken people. There is always a way that God can work through circumstances & people to accomplish His purposes, even when humans complicate things. His work will still be completed, with us personally or without us. It's still going to happen; He's still going to win. So why not follow Him & get to actually be a part of that?

Just like I outgrew certain things as I grew older & abandoned them for better things, I hope that I can continue to surpass certain aspects of my faith. Not to let go of any part of it, but simply to see it grow & mature as the Lord leads me through different phases of my life. I hope to leave behind the things that have held me back, & overcome them. Even though different things will always stand in my way, I want to be on a path to work daily to overcome something else; to grow every day.

Life is just too short to spend it stuck in the same habits & personal struggles. We've got to step it up & whip our bodies, minds & spirits into shape so that we can truly experience the things that the Lord has for us in this life.

I changed the name of my blog because I want to live every day making changes in myself. To strive every day to grow & change into more of who God wants me to be. I will never be perfect, but I can always aim to do something better today that I did yesterday, & do it better tomorrow than I did today. I can always improve. And that's what this blog is about; my process of improving. My growing up & growing in faith. The story of my life & the things that the Lord is doing in it. So, today whoever you are reading this, I encourage you to strive alongside me today. Let's grow together.

Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.