Life = Growth {GMG Reflection}

This week the Good Morning Girls are studying 1 John 2:12-17.  I am only half way through so far:

"I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name's sake.  I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning.  I am writing to you young men, because you have overcome the evil one.  I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.  I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning.  I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one." (1 John 2:12-14, NASB)

This little section has me thinking about spiritual maturity because John talks about children, young men, and fathers and their growing relationships with God.  I was reading a commentary on these verses that  said, "...life is equal to growth. Growth is evidence of life." My poor herb garden is a perfect example of this concept; the herbs aren't growing, and the herbs aren't living.  Yep, the sad story of my black thumb! On the other hand, I have two overflowing bins of children's clothing that my son has outgrown in his short 10 months of life.  He is growing like a weed, learning new things everyday, and very much alive! So apparently it must be easier to keep a baby human alive than to keep plants alive?

Anyway... to grow in my relationship with God I need to know Him better and allow His word to abide in me like the young men in the passage.  This is a scary concept to me because in my experience coming to know God better generally prompts me to action.  And the actions I am prompted to take are generally not easy.

It seems to me that the truth always requires a response.  If you follow this blog at all, you know that in the past year I've experimented with a vegan lifestyle.  At first I didn't know anything about it, but as I learned the truth about the American food system, and the truth about what our bodies were designed to eat, it became difficult to ignore the truth and continue eating a "healthy" omnivorous diet.  Now that I know the truth, I can't un-know it and it does make it difficult for me to enjoy some of my old favorite foods that I use to consider healthy.  So in some respects, ignorance is bliss.  But do I really want to be ignorant?

Furthermore, do I really want to be ignorant with regards to God? No, I don't.  I want to keep growing and I want to live the life God has designed for me.  Because I trust that the life God has designed for me  is greater and more fulfilling than whatever plans I make for myself.  I know this from experience because every time following God has led me to something scary or difficult and I actually did it, He has rewarded me beyond what I could imagine.

So, even though I am still scared of how God will challenge me and how far out of my comfort zone He is going to take me, today I am praying for courage.  Courage to really open myself up and ask God to show me how I need to change so that I can become more like Him.