FORSAKE THE BASIC. PURSUE THE DEEP.

The last 15 months have been quite a ride as they’ve consisted of a series of situations that have strong-armed me into growth. Forgive me for the Thomas Jefferson quote rip-off but I guess in order to be what you’ve never been, you have to do things you’ve never done.

The truth is, God doesn’t force anyone to grow. He gently prompts us to do so and then the rest is up to us. One thing that can inhibit our ability to evolve and advance, though, is regret. It’s easy to reflect on all of the mistakes we’ve made in life and feel frustrated with ourselves, realizing that we could be much further along on our journey if we had used more wisdom in our decision-making.

In 2nd Corinthians 12:9 after Paul had pleaded with God to take away his “thorn in the flesh”  – his weakness – God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” What we must know is that because we, as humans, are subject to err, that very fact is what brings us to make room for God in our lives. Perfection has no need for God’s strength but imperfection does and what He is currently doing in our lives is much bigger than any mistake we’ve  ever made. Adam messed up but what Christ did supersedes that. And so it is in our lives – we fall short but what God is doing in and around us supersedes that. His grace outweighs our fallibility.

We’ve all done things that make us cringe at the very recollection of them and we’ve wasted time on people and relationships that were not worth the investment. We’ve squandered opportunities to develop our gifts and talents and fallen behind on our goals and dreams. But thank God that His grace is more than enough to help us recover and bounce back. Thanks be to Him for giving us beauty for our ashes.

Have you taken time to pause and think deeply about what God is trying to develop within you through your process? Have you made the decision to respond to His promptings to come up a little higher by following Him down the winding road, even if the destination isn’t always clear? Have you opened your heart up to say “yes” to doing things that aren’t always convenient but may play a big part in your transformation?

Understanding that our mistakes are the price we paid for the wisdom we possess today, let’s spend less time wallowing in regret and more time appreciating the invaluable lessons we’ve learned and the role those lessons play in in the process of transforming us beyond recognition.