2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Don’t settle for where you are! Growth is essential in every area of our lives. We don’t usually have a problem with physical growth because it happens without our thinking about it or doing much of anything other than eating and drinking, but any other type of growth usually takes effort.

Sometimes when we are struggling in life it is easy to get so caught up in the situation that we don’t focus on our spiritual growth other than to plead with God to “get me out of this!” Struggles are often a time when we spend more time seeking Him, but it is very important to learn from Him as well. Have you ever watched someone go through difficult times and they seem to draw so close to God but the minute the trial is over they go back to the “same ‘ol same ‘ol” things, they haven’t really grown at all?

Let me suggest that when you are struggling it is a great time to not only draw close to God but to ask Him to teach you whatever it is you need to learn from this so you won’t hopefully have to face it again. Our son who is 16 and I had a conversation about his homeschooling curriculum the other day when I told him that this isn’t like the school he had attended before, this curriculum requires that he pass it with an acceptable grade before they will allow him to move forward. They want the child to learn what they are being taught before they are allowed to move forward (novel concept). God is the same way, if He has a lesson for you to learn, you are going to face the same lesson over and over until you really learn from it so you can be better prepared for what lies ahead. We often need the lessons so we can help others down the road.

Growing spiritually and closer to God should be exciting not drudgery! God is amazing and we will never, on this earth, really figure out all there is to figure out, but the rewards of knowing Him better are never ending! The more you dwell on who He is and how great He is the more faith you will have to know that He can handle whatever you are facing and whatever you may face in the future. Your willingness to trust His goodness will grow as you grow closer to Him and you become more aware of just how much He loves you! Your confidence in who you are in Him will grow as you allow Him to show you all that He created you to be and you use all the talents He placed inside you to serve Him in all you do! You will become a better spouse, parent, friend, neighbor, employer, or employee, etc. as you become more like Christ!

Don’t settle for where you are! Seek Him with your whole heart and He will be found and He will guide you in all that you do. Make ‘knowing Him’ a number one priority in your life and watch the rest fall into place!

Quote: “Beautiful light is born of darkness, so the faith that springs from conflict is often the strongest and best.” R. Turnbull