Growth

I was out doing yard work Saturday and this word kept coming to mind: Growth.

Loved discovering the bulbs/plants with bits of green on them!

And then I thought: if I would have spent every day looking for bulbs to appear after I planted them last fall, I would have lost any joy felt by the time spring came!

And then it hit me: How often do we make a change, and then expect to see the joy/growth from it right away?

How often do we think growth in ourselves “should” look a certain way?

I feel more joy when I let go of what it “should” be. But I have to be aware of those unrealistic mental expectations that aren’t from me. I know they come from the adversary, who tries to beat us all down telling us we aren’t good enough. Or that joy has to look or be a certain way.

I’m learning that JOY comes in SO MANY ways. But if I’m listening to the negative voice, I completely miss those moments and feelings.

For me, finding joy isn’t about labeling moments all day long as joyful or not. It’s about consistently doing the things I know bring the Spirit of Christ into my life, and allowing myself to feel and listen to that calming, peaceful voice.

Learning what the voice of the Spirit sounds and feels like is something I’m always practicing. But I feel like it’s a language I’m learning and growing with just like these plants. If I’m expecting to see huge growth overnight, I’m setting unrealistic expectations and may miss out on the joy of the process.

For me, learning this language happens in such small and simple ways.

But that voice is real.
While it’s hard to hear, it is familiar, calm and peaceful.
It breathes light into my soul.
It reminds me that above all those things I worry about, or stress over, that I’m not alone.
It reminds me that I don’t have to have it all right, or all figured out and that is okay.
It reminds me that I am enough.
It is joy.