For a couple of weeks, we have been centered around stillness, and I have to tell you, stillness has a way of revealing things we cannot see when we are busy. When everything slows down, when the noise fades, when we finally stop striving, we sometimes come face to face with something unexpected. Ourselves.
And not the polished version either. Not the productive, strong, holding-it-all-together version. Just us. Raw. Honest. Aware.
Maybe in this season you have realized something that feels a little uncomfortable. Maybe you have noticed a pattern in your reactions. Maybe you have seen where fear has been driving you, or where control has been disguising itself as protection. Maybe you have felt God gently nudging you, showing you that there is growth required for where He is taking you next.
Let me lovingly say this to you. Realizing you have work to do is not shame. It is an invitation.
There is a difference between saying, “I am the problem,” and saying, “There are parts of me that need healing.” One keeps you stuck in condemnation. The other moves you into transformation. Awareness is not punishment. It is maturity. It is ownership. It is in alignment with who you are becoming.
When we invite God into that awareness, everything shifts. We stop defending our patterns and start surrendering them. We stop striving to be right and start asking to be refined. We stop pretending we have it all together and begin allowing Him to show us a better way forward.
That kind of work is sacred. It softens your heart. It strengthens your character. It prepares you for the next level of your beautiful life.
So instead of criticizing yourself this weekend, ask yourself a better question. What is being revealed so I can become freer? What is God teaching me about the woman I am becoming? What would it look like to respond differently this time?
Beautiful, you are not the problem! You are a willing participant in your own growth! And that is powerful.
Give yourself grace as you move through this weekend. Growth is holy work. Refinement is not rejection. It is preparation.
And even in this, there is still beautiful!
1 comment
OH, MS. KATRINA!!! I know it’s been A WHILE since I’ve responded, however, I just wanted to compliment you on your in-depth words of wisdom! Your message most definitely resonated with me. So much so that I think, more than it being “the bomb,” YOU ARE THE BALM!
Do me a favor? Please remember that, even if I don’t reach out to you much at all, I hug you in my heart regularly!
Luvu2!