In my very first blog post ever, I mentioned three framed quotes that I have on the wall in my bedroom. They come from one of my very favorite hymns: “Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side”; “Leave to thy God to order and provide”; “In every change, He faithful will remain.”
I reflect on these phrases a lot, which is why I put them on my wall, so that they were always right in front of my face. I chose to hang these right after God had brought me through a particularly difficult time of my life, and I was just beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel as He mercifully was healing my heart and reassuring me that He was working for my good and for His glory. These song lyrics speak directly to God’s sovereignty, but the irony is that looking back, I really only believed that God was sort of sovereign. I mean, at the time I would have said that I 100% believed God was sovereign, but in the three and a half years since I hung those quotes, God has shown me volumes more about His sovereignty.
I love looking back at where God has brought me from and reflecting on His work in my life. I love it because He never stops working. Today, I can say that I’m the closest I’ve ever been to God and I love Jesus the most I ever have. But I hope that’s not actually true. I hope that a year from now, I can make the same statement and it can be true. In other words, I hope He never stops working in my life, giving victory over sin, providing a way of escape out of temptation, refining me to be more like Him.
Growth is most noticeable over time, it’s less obvious day to day. So sometimes spotting spiritual growth can be discouraging. It can make us feel as if we’re stuck and not moving forward. But 2 Corinthians encourages us:
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16
The inward man is being renewed day by day. And then day by day after that. And then day by day after that. Until 100 days and 1,000 days. There’s growth, there’s transformation day by day. And each of those days is a testament to God’s work and mercy in our lives.
Don’t lose heart!
Love, April
