Every year, the closer I am to new age, the more I reflect. This year has demanded a different level of growth than any other. It is a level of growth rooted in blinded trust; Listening, trusting, and obeying. I divorced doubt and renewed my vows to faith. Jeremiah 17:7-8 CSB tells us, "The person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is in the Lord, is blessed. He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn't fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit." There is so much there to unpack.
We have the choice to live two ways, put our trust in the world, in mankind and be curse, or place our trust in God and be blessed. Like Judah, we suffer more often than not, because we chose to misplace our trust. I have suffered a lot in life and much of it due to my own thoughts and actions, but I have also gained so much. That's what growth is. It is realizing where you fell, taking accountability, but then doing the work to be better. Growth, Gain, and Glory, that's what I have with him. When I trust God, is it scary? Absolutely, but is it worth it? Absolutely.
So Many of us fail to use the lesson in verse 8. We don't consider for one second what it means to be a tree, or any plant for that matter. Plants are evolving organisms, but they put their total trust in the one caring for them. My Christmas Cactus doesn't think it is less of a plant because it did not bloom flowers this season, while others have. My Peace Lilly is not less beautiful because it has a few leaves with wears and tears. We need to be more like this, less comparing and more being. Stop comparing ourselves to the next person. It does not matter if they speak better, if they are more fit, more healthy, etc. Their being does not take away from your value of a person. When seasons of doubt come, remain confident. The job, the career, the education, the spouse, the home, the money, whatever it is for you, may not come when you want it. This is exactly what makes God's timing Devine. He knows the right moment of not only when we best need it, but when we can best care for it. One of my favorite scriptures, Romans 8:18 says "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time shall not be compared to the Glory which shall be revealed in us." Lecrae's song "Worth it" states:
It's just a little dirt, it's just a little stain
Trust me, you're still worth it
Just goin' through the pain
It's just a little tear, don't you worry, God is here
Don't be so hard on yourself, don't be so hard on your—
It's just a little dirt, it's just a little stain
Trust me, you're still worth it
Just goin' through the pain
It's just a little tear, don't you worry, God is here
Don't be so hard on yourself, don't be so hard on yourself
Be reminded, everything happens on purpose, for purpose. You'll be fine, prayerfully even better than a bottle of wine lol.
As I approach 26, I can look in the mirror and tell myself this without hesitation and with full belief of who God has called me to be. I am a woman of God, saved by the blood of Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit. I am gifted and talented in more ways than one and will use my God-given power to bring glory to his name as his light shines through me. Through life's trails and tribulations, I have grown, I am gaining, and it is all due to his Glory. That alone is worth celebration.
Go with God. Grow in Grace. Live in Love.
Be Blessed,
Meach Preach