If I focus on protecting my image I am missing out on the most important part of this process and a great opportunity. Personal growth. Emotionally, intellectually and especially spiritually there is a tremendous opportunity for growth and maturity in this process. When I look back on my life I notice that the times when God really had my attention was when I was in the midst of a lot of pain and strife. It’s also the greatest memories I have of sensing God’s presence in my life as well as “hearing” His voice. When I am always surrounded by comfortable, familiar experiences and feelings I believe I am insulated from really experiencing God and all that goes along with that, including: knowing who I really am, knowing what my true purpose is in this world, continually being shaped and molded into the person I was designed to be…
I have heard stories from married couples who go off to live in a foreign land for a time and they end up being forced to cling to and rely on one another like they never have before. Most of the time it results in a stronger more vibrant relationship. I would like to use this analogy for my personal relationship with God. As God uses the difficulties that I am encountering here and the lack of any comfort zone to hide behind, a great recipe for growth begins to take shape. The key ingredient is agreeing and choosing to walk into that painful unknown and trusting that God has a plan for it all. I’m learning to believe that it’s not some random experience with a meaningless destination.