Grow Up.
The mundane of my creativity has been less about aesthetics and more in the pursuit of God’s truth. I guess it always has been– my poems have always been prayers but lately they have been addressed to the idols in my life and I needed a rebranding to who I am in Christ. I know it can sound very cliche to worldly ears but understand my spirit knows the depth of its meaning and so does my flesh. Hence, the fight to be clear about how I’m coming. I am always in the pursuit of learning and unlearning. I recently heard a preacher say, ‘all the letters in the New Testament given to us are centered in telling us one thing— to grow up!’
I do believe God is bringing me into a season of harsh and tough conversations about who I am in Him. He is requiring me to be unshakeable in my allegiance to Him. The time of soft bearing on my faith has passed. This next season I will need to grow up. A hope filled interpretation to what He is doing in my life. A favorite teacher of mine said: It is not God’s will that women be weak in moral biblical theological discernment. Ummm HELLO! And allll the ladies in the place with style & grace… please pick up yo Bible!! Anyway, I think it is safe to say: most of my falls from grace had more to do with my choice to choose the false prophets in my life over my relationship with Jesus. Deuteronomy 13:1–3
We have a habit of having really good religious experiences. Great church services, gifts and singing and loving when He opens up a parking stall in the front just for us. Or when He brings you a “relationship” in the form of a phony prayer you answered in your own voice— not God’s. We love making God sound just like us. Let’s be clear, He would never give you something that pulled you away from Him. God is calling me back to a deeper and mature relationship with him. Not a phony faith. He is not restoring me to something superficial. Something a false image could take me from. He wrecked that relationship to spare me from years of sorrow. What a gift.
On the other side of our complacency the enemy is waiting. Evil does not sleep. It lurks. It prowls. Waiting for its moment to dance with your compromise. 1 Peter 5:8 The truth is my complacency was enveloped as idleness. My idleness laced in fear. Laced in self-centered and arrogant entitlement to believe I did enough. Growing up has nothing to do with age. The body ages but the mind has the capacity to stay the same. The body can have 50 years on it and the mind is only 18 years old. Can you imagine that? Being old enough to grow up but your head won’t let you? Or you won’t let it? We don’t grow up independent of Jesus, we grow into Him. All the reading, listening, watching, researching, the doing, the calling, the planning— it is a beautiful rescue to something much deeper than what was before. So much deeper than just head knowledge! So much deeper than just looking like a “christian.” It is a beautiful rescue to get me to be like Him. Like Jesus. In perfect patience He is calling me to grow out of infant stages and take a dive into the meat of my life! Ephesians 4:14
The aim has always been a strong Christ exalting, sound doctrine, Biblical saturated walk with Him- lest we forget He is coming back for a spotless bride. When will we grow up? Are you not tired of your wicked ways? Are you not tired of tapering your life?All that toil to come to what end?
Child, it’s time to grow up. The meat of our life, the fruit of our life— it awaits us!
I am writing you love letters from Hilo.
I pray you read this with hope and love. With joy and expectation— knowing Jesus loves you but more importantly He needs you to grow up— in your word reading, praying, believing, hoping, looking for His return.
All my love,
G.
