2021, the year I accept the challenge.
Huggies is a well known pamper brand, and yes saints we are going to talk about pampers here for a bit. I’m a mom to an almost 15 month old baby boy and side note... pampers are expensive and you will run out of the ones people give you at the baby shower, quickly!
Huggies has a slogan “I’m a big kid now” and it's speaking about the pull up training pants- they are designed for learning, because If I’m correct the next phase is just underwear for the child. Stay with me saints.The brand recognizes that the child is developing and evolving to a "big kid". They are no longer using the bottle, but have advanced to a sippy cup and no longer using diapers.
The slogan distinguishes that the child still has some growing to do and there will be hiccups along the way, but the child is a “BIG KID NOW” so the theme song ends with, “challenge accepted”
I truly find joy in watching Jeremiah grow. When doctors do not see babies growth happening at the rate they’d like, it causes for concern. It’s no different for a believer. The angels rejoice when one sinner comes to repentance, but once that happens, our Heavenly Father finds joy in seeing His children grow.
Facing new things as a baby is likely very intimidating. For example, learning to walk is no doubt scary for a child. But they can do it. It is the same with us in our walk with Christ. God is urging us on: to use our faith, to act on His Word, to trust Him. It seems scary, but God knows we can do it. Once we learn how to walk with God by faith, it is a real joy.
God created you to become like Christ. He wants you to grow up spiritually!
God’s goal has always been to make you like himself—to become someone of godly character.
Every situation is to help you grow up spiritually—the good, the bad, the ugly, the stuff you bring on yourself, and the stuff that other people do to you. God is not the author of confusion, evil, nor ugly. But God can bring good out of bad things. God can turn every situation around. God is an avenger. He is a friend. He is a helper. He is sovereign. He can right every wrong. When I stopped asking myself why me Lord, why is this happening to me, why did they do this to me Lord, why did they treat me that way Lord? But instead, I’m asking “God, what do you want me to learn from this?”
Every situation in life will either make you bitter or better. You choose how you will respond to it. Ruth Chapter 1:20 says, that Naomi said to call her Mara. Mara means bitter. Naomi had become who life made her. She experienced great loss, and I believe a decision had to be made. A choice. When she walked back into her town, I wonder what it would have looked like if she came out of the situation choosing to come out better. I'm wondering how people would have perceived her if when they called on her, and she would have said, "yes, my name is Naomi, I've been through some stuff, I've even lost some things, but I'm here. I'm better. I'm choosing to walk this thing out with God on my side." Oh, I feel like preaching up in here.
I'm figuring out as I'm growing up that we have a choice. I'm figuring out as I’m growing up, I can’t talk about people. I'm figuring out as I’m growing up, I can’t speak to my husband any kind of way. I’m figuring out as I'm growing up, I can’t speak to myself any kind of way. I’m figuring out as I’m growing up that every problem has a purpose, and that purpose is to help me grow up spiritually to be more like Jesus Christ.
In the beginning of the year 2020, our pastor told us what we felt God was wanting from us this year, and I felt God was telling me, Britt you have some growing up to do spiritually. I knew what God was telling me. I knew that I had to stop fainting in the midst of adversity.
If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. Proverbs 24:10
I asked God, where do I start…help me to be more like you. He sent me to 2 places...
Galations 5:22, But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance
1 Peter 5:10 – and after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
These are the qualities God wants to build in your life.
How does God produce those qualities in your life? How does God grow character and help you grow up spiritually? God teaches you these qualities by putting you in the exact opposite situation.
He teaches you love by putting you around unlovely people. He teaches you joy in the middle of grief. God teaches you peace in the middle of chaos. He teaches you patience in the middle of virtual learning!
God will teach you all of these qualities throughout your life—It’s a process. He will use all kinds of situations in your life to help you develop spiritual depth and become more like Christ.
I accept the challenge of growth. I want to evolve. I don’t want to be this same person next year. I want to be better. I want to be able to be challenged by a situation and count it all joy. I want to be able to be in the midst of adversity and not faint. I want to be able to exercise my faith and continually place my trust in God. Anxiety can't stop me. My own doubts can't stop me. People will not stop me. I will become all God has called me to be spiritually.
With Love,
His Friend
