Still Growing

Hello there!

Let me introduce myself. My name is Hannah. Sky is a very dear, close friend of mine and she has so generously invited me to be a co-blogger along with her here on Love Never Fails. To begin,  allow me to tell you a little about myself. I’m a Kansas girl, born and raised in Wichita. I’m from a family of seven, my parents, my four brothers, and myself. I am 28 years old. I was born into a Christian household, I have known about Jesus my whole life, but I didn’t really come to know Him for myself until I was a teenager. I love Him with all my heart and I pray that my love for Him will continue to grow over the course of my life. And I pray that your love for Him will also continue to grow. If you don’t know Him or love Him, I again pray that you will come to know Him and love Him shortly.

Actually, today I would like to speak about growth, and I want to do that by mentioning a familiar name, Moses.


“Moses grew and became a man. One day he visited his people, the Hebrews. He saw…”
(Exodus 2:11), besides being a part of the great account of God delivering Israel out of bondage from Egypt, it gives us some glimpses into the character of Moses, the meaning of maturing and the little miracles that play into the big ones. Hence, “Moses grew…” It’s almost ironic, but Moses did not come out of the womb, nor was he drawn out of the river, equipped to fulfill God’s plan for him. Moses grew. That is probably the best thing that can be said about any of us – not that we have become – but that we are continually becoming. Growth is a sign of life, and if Jesus said that He came that we might have it, then it must be a good thing.

Moses’ growth did not happen as we might think: after becoming a man, he would still experience  anger, worry, fear, and all those things we’d rather outgrow and not feel anymore. These flaws, these sins, along the way make it difficult to measure growth, and that difficulty makes it tempting to give up. But to give up – to refuse to grow – is to perish in a way. “…and became a man. One day he visited his people…” The mature person is one who is ready to see themselves in a context bigger than themselves. Many of us believe that we need to find ourselves – a notion that may be true in a limited sort of way. Many of us think that we must define or invent ourselves – possibly equally true but in an even more limited way. When Moses visited his people he was beginning to accept himself, not as the Egyptian prince he once was, but as the heir to something far greater than a crown made by human hands. He was beginning to accept himself as being a part of a people, a “chosen people” (1 Peter 2:9). The identity given to him by the palace could never give him what someone truly needs – a sense of who we are. Only God can do that. Only our Heavenly Father could ever give us a true identity and purpose.

“He saw…” When Moses saw, he had come to a place where he was able to set aside his own constructed world and enter into the one that existed independently of his plans for himself. What he saw in Egypt would be stretched by what he would come to see in Midian, but here was the beginning of what would end with his view of the promised land. He reached that place where God wanted him.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” – 1 Peter 2:9

I want to tell you something that Sky, my now fellow blogger and best friend, once told me. It is related to this example of Moses. She said, “Imagine your heart within you having roots. It is within that secret place of the heart where God is. We need to make sure our roots are growing deeply into Him and His Word. We need to be deeply rooted in Him and make sure there is nothing that is weakening our root system.” Moses became deeply rooted in the Lord over time. Everything God did in his life went hand in hand. Also, just as everything in scripture goes hand in hand, so they do in our lives as well today.

God is doing good things, amazing things! Do you see this? We are temples of a Being far greater than ourselves, temples being brought to life. Though we may not understand the process, our Builder does. We are His workmanship and the place where He lives. I have no doubt that “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Therefore, I encourage you, to keep on growing. Though you – like Moses, myself , and everyone for that matter – have flaws. It’s okay to have flaws. If we didn’t have any flaws, then we wouldn’t need to grow. But we do. I hope that you will learn that you are a part of a chosen people, and I also hope you recognize that the Lord is indeed good, and that He loves you. Thank you for reading. God bless you!

Much love in Christ,

Hannah

Old Friends, New Life

“In the quiet of an early morning, honesty finds me. It calls to me through a crack in my soul and invites the real me to come out.”-Lysa TerKeurst from Uninvited

Have you ever lost someone extremely close to you? That go-to person when you felt down, or even when you have something exciting to tell? Someone who you expected to be there forever, yet they seemed to have left in a mere moment. Things like this happen far more often than we realize. We don’t recognize that fact until it actually happens to us personally.

Today, in the quiet of the early morning, in the silence of the beginning of my day, God came through. An old friend of mine resurfaced to my mind. It has been a few years now, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think of them and wish them the best. It doesn’t mean that the memory of them has disappeared and all our times together have become a distant reminiscence. & just as she was gone in an instant, God stretched out His hand and held on to me just as fast.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.-Matthew 6:34 (NKJV)

Our friendship lasted about 8 years. We often joked that a friendship that has made it to 7 will last a lifetime. I used to think that the moment it reached that, the enemy swarmed in and took my friend away. Maybe he did, because based on the circumstances it sure seemed it. Not only did our relationship vaporize, but the person within the relationship was too. One moment my strength, best friend, love, cheerleader, and more. To angry, misunderstanding, misinterpreting, stubborn, inattentive, the next.

When the Word says, “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (or morals/character depending on the translation you are using), from 1 Corinthians 15:33, it is not kidding. Now, I am all for making new friends and being a light for everyone to see/feel, but in this instance when this person met another in particular, things shifted pretty quickly. New interests started to arise, new habits, and even new speech/attitudes.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not here to talk down on anyone. I am simply giving some background to one piece of my story.

I many times asked why. I frequently blamed myself, even though it wasn’t entirely my fault. Too many times to count, I wanted to run back to that old friend. I wanted to push myself onto them and force them to love me again in return. Yet the Holy Spirit within me was gently telling me to let go.

“whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”

James 4:14, NKJV

Once I was truly able to, God began to teach me many things. He even brought new people into my life and showed me how to look at life through His lenses. Here are some of those things, to perhaps help you as well:

  • Not only is life a vapor, here now then gone the next, friendships/relationships can be at times too.
  • God sees what we do not see. He also hears what we do not hear. Therefore, this person in my life must have no longer been fitting for the new season God was putting me in.
  • Although the friendship has come to an end, and that person may have some remorse or bitterness against you, pray for them anyway.
  • God is in control.
  • “Instead of relying on your friend, rely on Me.” -God
  • God should be our go-to person. The One we tell our hearts desires, pains and aches, exciting moments, breaking moments, and more.

Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. (Psalms 55:22, NKJV)

So, how did God meet me in this morning? I invited Him in and He joined me.

(see-Psalms 91:1; Psalms23:3; Psalms 5:3)

Hear the whisper of the Lord, “When I remove you from something or someone you treasure, it’s healthy to grieve your loss. It is also important to draw closer to Me during this time. Cling to Me, beloved, for your relationship with Me will never be taken away from you.”

Wow, am I right?

Like I mentioned in my post, Repentance, God is a God of new.

“Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.”

Isaiah 43:19, NKJV

Now being a child of God, when I think of rivers I imagine refreshment. I imagine cleanliness. Smoothness. Purity.

This morning when I came to God, I came with full intention to surrender myself as I was. I came to begin my day with Him. This week for myself has become a mission. A mission to fulfill the longing within my heart. & when I did this He pointed out something within myself I had hidden away. Something I pretended not to notice, He brought to light. To reveal that just like that moment from the past, He is bringing something new to the table.

I am so thankful that God has shown me this. That I can now recognize when something new is going to occur, and I can wait expectantly in return.

“Sometimes God stays silent until we’re ready to listen.”

Hebrews 13:15 MEV

Through Him, then, let us continually offer to God the sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.