The other morning my 5 year old daughter (while the two of us were brushing our teeth) carefully examined me, and the next moment made the comment “mommy, you will be a granny soon”. Surprised I looked at her, wondering what on earth could have triggered such a strange thought? She then continued cheerfully “your hands are becoming all wrinkly, and I see that your forehead is making the same lines as on grandma’s face”. I think if it weren’t for the fact that I have promised myself long ago to one day grow old gracefully, I might have felt really depressed at that moment in time. Because everything she said was true; I am busy aging and I can’t hide it, and neither can I stop it. And to be honest, I’m proud of it! I love the fact that I can just be me, that I’m comfortable in my skin, and that every single crinkle, line and mark on my body is proof that I am alive and that I have lived!
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any person is in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!” (Amplified)
Our spirit does not mature the same way our natural body does, and that sometimes creates confusion. Where your natural body will age with time, irrelevant of what you do; your spirit will remain in the same passive state until you actively start nourishing it. And as a new creation in Christ, our spirit need to undergo some fundamental changes, otherwise we will never be able to get rid of our spiritually childlike way of thinking.
Our spirit does not mature the same way our natural body does, and that sometimes creates confusion. Where your natural body will age with time, irrelevant of what you do; your spirit will remain in the same passive state until you actively start nourishing it. And as a new creation in Christ, our spirit need to undergo some fundamental changes, otherwise we will never be able to get rid of our spiritually childlike way of thinking.
1 Corinthians 13:11 “When I was a child, my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child; now that I have grown up, I have no more use for childish ways.” (Good News Bible) If you imagine your journey with Christ to be similar to that of a youngster growing up and maturing into a beautiful adult, some of the bumps and bruises will make more sense. After you have surrendered your life to Christ, you are a little baby Christian. You don’t really know and understand the full greatness of God’s grace, all you know is that you are desperate for some nutrition (the Bible and your fellow Christians). Eventually you learn to crawl, walk and run. And just as you think you ‘understand’ it all, you hit an obstacle and fall flat on your face! And this is usually the start of the dangerous |
teenage phase. The phase where you are so sure you know it all, but for some reason you keep on fighting with yourself in your mind. You are so frustrated with your own lack of understanding yourself spiritually, that you sometimes think it will be easier to go back to the ‘old person’ you used to be. And if you continue to meditate on the thought of “I thought this whole serving God thing was supposed to be easy”, the devil will grab your hand and quickly show you the shortest route to the previous you. Be careful not to get stuck in the turbulent and rebellious teenage phase, because you will only begin to understand and appreciate God’s grace (unmerited favor for you) once you become a more matured Christian. And as time goes by, you will grow more and more and more, and learn and understand more and more and more of God’s grace for us. Amazing love!
“Why”, you may ask, “didn’t God just make this whole journey trouble-free, painless and more effortless?” Well, the answer is really easy: God created us with a free will, but not a free ride! Unlike our bodies that will change due to the natural maturing process as we grow older, serving God works differently. If you don’t do anything, nothing will happen. God will not strike you with lightning to serve Him, never! But if you put in some effort, He will give you something in return. And the more time you spend reading, praying and meditating on God’s amazing Word, the more He will reveal Himself to you. “Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord. Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer. ~ Romans 12:11-12 (Amplified)
My wish for every single woman reading this, is that God will touch and change your life in 2015. I pray that He will heal your broken wounds and help you to make peace with what you can’t change; that He will set you free from your past to serve Him in freedom, and that He will show you how your wrinkles, lines and scars shaped you into the beautiful person you are today. You are a perfect creation, created by the perfect Creator! And if God is on your side, who can be against you? Let 2015 be the year that you grow with grace (loveliness, beauty, elegance and style) into the perfect mature Christian God wish for you to be. And remember, God’s grace (mercy, unmerited favor, spiritual blessing, and protection) is for anyone, you just need to open your arms and accept His perfect gift!
May you grow with grace in 2015, by His grace!
Blessings
Yolandi
“Why”, you may ask, “didn’t God just make this whole journey trouble-free, painless and more effortless?” Well, the answer is really easy: God created us with a free will, but not a free ride! Unlike our bodies that will change due to the natural maturing process as we grow older, serving God works differently. If you don’t do anything, nothing will happen. God will not strike you with lightning to serve Him, never! But if you put in some effort, He will give you something in return. And the more time you spend reading, praying and meditating on God’s amazing Word, the more He will reveal Himself to you. “Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord. Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer. ~ Romans 12:11-12 (Amplified)
My wish for every single woman reading this, is that God will touch and change your life in 2015. I pray that He will heal your broken wounds and help you to make peace with what you can’t change; that He will set you free from your past to serve Him in freedom, and that He will show you how your wrinkles, lines and scars shaped you into the beautiful person you are today. You are a perfect creation, created by the perfect Creator! And if God is on your side, who can be against you? Let 2015 be the year that you grow with grace (loveliness, beauty, elegance and style) into the perfect mature Christian God wish for you to be. And remember, God’s grace (mercy, unmerited favor, spiritual blessing, and protection) is for anyone, you just need to open your arms and accept His perfect gift!
May you grow with grace in 2015, by His grace!
Blessings
Yolandi