Today we begin texting one another about our fall theme, #thetruthaboutgrowingup! We are very excited to work this topic out with one another and with you both here on the blog and on social media. As we asked God what He would like us to write about, we felt like He was showing us how we (and our kids) are “growing up.” First Peter 2:2 says, “You’ve had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God.”
Below you will find our introduction to #thetruthaboutgrowingup. We ask that as you discover areas of growth in your own life and in the lives of your kids, that you would #drinkdeep with us and use these hashtags over on social media so we can share in this experience together.
Does anyone else have a hard time keeping up with the constant changing out of clothes in drawers and closets?! I mean, if it’s not the changing of the season, then these kids just grow so fast and all of a sudden nothing in their drawers fit! ? There are literally clothes all over my house all the time! ????????
Yes! The clothes are haunting me too!? At this rate, I’ll be sorting until I die. “R.I.P. Anna… She was a good mom, but she should have sorted clothes a little faster.”
Haha. Maybe we just need to adopt that popular clutter-free method everyone’s been talking about? It would make things a lot simpler!
True! I wonder if I’ve been applying that method to my life and not just my closets. Lately, I’ve been thinking about what doesn’t fit me anymore, and I’m not talking about jeans and t-shirts here… Some days I can actually realize what spiritual clothes I’ve cleaned out of my heart-wardrobe.
Whoa, you just got deep on us, Laura. And the former English teacher in me can’t wait to hear this…
? Yeah, sorry. I guess it’s just that when I look back at what used to be important to me and compare it with what is important now, I just feel, I don’t know… grown up?
Ooo, good stuff, Laura. Hmmm, a clutter free spiritual closet?So what kinds of things are you sorting through?
Well, I’ve had to sort through a lot of emotions and heartache. I’ve asked myself why I react the way I do in my relationships with others. So I made the decision to take off certain feelings and “rights.” And honestly, I’m still doing this. It’s a process.
Sounds amazing, but hard.
It was and is hard, but it hasn’t killed me. And it’s made me closer to God. It’s freed me up to be a more true version of myself. And it takes as long as it needs to take. God isn’t rushing me to sort through things by some “deadline.” It’s not like I am going to sell my old stuff at a garage sale! And like the kids’ clothes, there’s always more sorting to go! ?
Like what are you taking off, exactly?
Well, recently I’ve been focusing on taking off my feelings of resentment, and putting on forgiveness.
Right there with ya. I’m also in the process of packing up fear and putting on peace.
I’d like to join you in both of those wardrobe changes, but girls, just being honest… Sometimes I don’t think it’s that easy to just take something off. My hurt is too deep, or my habits are really stuck. I wish I could just toss it off, but it might be like ripping off skin-tight leather pants! ?
(Not that I have ever tried that, LOL.)
That visual made me crack up, but girl, I hear ya! That’s why I said I am in the *process* of it. HA. ? I feel like I’ve been trying to get rid of fear for a long time but there always seem to be new layers. So I guess for me, it’s taking off one layer at a time.
That I think I can do. One layer for today. ?
I think one layer at a time sounds perfect. You can strip off another layer next season! And anyway, whether it’s one layer at a time or you just throw it all out at once, there’s this fantastic feeling you get. You know the one when you finally sort through actual clothes? You give bags away or sell them at your local MOPS garage sale?
YES! Pure relief when you are waving goodbye to them!
Exactly! When we sort through all these emotions and make the hard choices to pack up the past, even if it is one layer at a time, and live a new way, it feels sooooo good!
Then we get the best part. Open space. Space to breathe. And it can be filled with new, good thoughts and emotions. Space to hear from God. Space to grow up.
Soaking in the Truth
Scripture to encourage you:
- “You’ve had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God.” (1 Peter 2:2, The Message).
- Colossians 3 (We know… normally we just put the verse here, but this chapter is so good! Please read it!!)
Music to inspire you:
- “That Was Then, This is Now” by Josh Wilson
Readings and Resources to come alongside of you:
- “Me, Myself, and Lies: A Thought Closet Makeover” by Jennifer Rothschild
Living Out the Truth
Ideas to try:
- Thanks to Anna, I’ve started singing the lyrics “growin’ up is hard to do-oo” to the tune “Breakin’ Up Is Hard To Do.” So I’ve started thinking about what I could put on to make the process easier. I didn’t have to look much further than Ephesians 6. The armor of God. One reason I think growing up is so hard is because I can get offended and hurt by just about anything. (a post on social media that makes me feel left out, my husband’s love of football seeming like it’s more important than I am, my boys’ words–”you’re cooking is so bad, mommy!” and the list can go on). But with the armor of God I can hear those words differently. I can hear them in the context of truth and faith and in the light of God’s Word. Pray for the armor of God to protect you from offence. Living at peace with one another requires that we cover over other’s sin with love. ~Laura
{These suggestions are ideas from novice moms. Sometimes our life situations need more.
In that case, seeking out professional help is the right call.}
Love this! I love the picture you painted with layer-by-layer. It helps take the pressure off and causes me to ponder on God’s slow, refining process a bit more. He is more patient than us people, eh?!