Growing pains

Do you ever have those days when your weaknesses shine through and your strengths don't seem so strong?

Today was like that for me. It's not necessarily a bad thing. There's growth taking place and I love to be challenged...but in the moments of facing my weaknesses head on, well there always seems to be a tension in that. It's like when you're younger and you reach those points where you just seem to shoot up in height. It appears to happen overnight, but before that growth takes place there's pain. There's tension before growth occurs, without it we would still be infants.

I've found the same to be true in my walk with Christ. When those tough spots come or problems keep recurring with the same theme I look for what God is teaching me. In school it seems as though every year has had a theme to learn that had nothing to do with books or profs. One year was about trusting God with everything, the next was to seek him first above a relationship, this past year conflict resolution and keeping my character in tact. All these lessons I've learned have come with some pretty tough situations I've had to face. But through all of that I've grown deeper in my relationship with God.

Today showed me that God is teaching me to be a strong leader, not only of those he'll bless me to shepherd, but manage and lead myself as well. This summer will be a refining process for me and I'm sure there will be more emotional and somewhat frustrating days to come. But I take joy in what God's teaching me. And I'm grateful for a friend who won't let me settle for anything less than the truth of who God has made me to be.