“We are always growing into ourselves, growing into our identity, growing into God.”
Emily P. Freeman
I’ve noticed lately that the desire for food is having more of a hold, like a magnetic pull, on me. Instead of having a take-it-or-leave-it attitude, I want to eat when I’m not hungry. Running to food to comfort me is a red flag that something is off in my world. This begs the question, “What is making me uncomfortable?”
I have opened my schedule by releasing some of the people I’ve been mentoring to start drafting a new book. My discomfort stems from having more time alone and less time with others, which can trigger an old wound of loneliness. I struggle with exchanging the external discipline of having set appointments with mentees to having my motivation to write come from within myself. Having a blank slate, and not fully understanding where God wants me to go in this manuscript feels uncomfortable. There’s more peace coloring within the lines and having a road map to follow, instead of creating as I go.
How can I find strength and comfort and what do I need to remember, in this next book-writing journey? Here are a few truths I need to tell myself. I am not alone; God is with me. God faithfully directed me step-by-step through writing the last book, therefore, I can trust Him to be faithful again. My intimacy with God will develop as I depend on God to come through for me. “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (John 15:4).
Healthy dependence deepens relationships. Ann Voskamp writes in her book Waymaker, “What we all need most is to need. Need, dependence, reliance, is what cultivates trust and deepens attachments that make us secure.” Here is my paraphrase of Hebrews 11:8. By faith, Norma obeyed when she was called to write another book as her inheritance. And she went out, not knowing where she was going.
Sometimes the very thing that initially feels uncomfortable can become the greatest gift in life if we allow ourselves to embrace change. Here’s to a new chapter in my life called Growing Pains and becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable.
“Being a person who enters into the ordinary liturgy of change is one who is growing.”
Emily P. Freeman
Relevant Reflections:
What situation or person is causing you growing pains?
What truths can you remind yourself of to become more comfortable with change?
Image by M_wie_Moehre from Pixabay
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