Growing Pains

Growing pains. Ahhh...Kirk Cameron.
Anyone under 30 is officially lost before they even start reading.
But, others of us more...ahem...mature readers are remembering that dimple faced rabble-rouser who always came out smooth from his rebel like gimmicks in his teenage years.

Alright -- reminiscing is over.

Back to real life. Sigh.

I was out walking just a few short weeks ago, and I took this pic of the corn sprouting up in the field.
As an Iowa girl, I knew just how fast that would change, so I snapped a pic.

Sure enough. Last week while I was out on the mower (a full time job so far this summer) it was over my head. So what else would you do besides snap a selfie right?

Keeping it real here at R7.

No makeup on that sweaty face. Let's face it -- it would melt right off anyway.

So anyway back to Kirk --- I mean back to growing pains.

Lately I've been in what you could call a growth spurt. Now I'm not growing up -- and I'm fighting like crazy to not grow out. So, this growth spurt is more inward. A spiritual growth spurt if you will.

In just a few short months I've seen evidence of God's love and His guidance in so many ways. The days are still long and busy, but I'm seeing things through eyes of grace more often than not. I'm feeling renewed each day and there's a melody of laughter and a harmony of peace running through our house. Now granted, some of that is because it's summer and I'm a teacher --

But, there's something deeper. Over the last year there has been so much painful change in our life and at times God has felt so far away and our lives sort of empty.

What about those little sprouts? In a short time they have grown so tall, but not until after the field set empty through a long, cold, dark winter. Then there was a painful turning over of the field and then of all things  -- having manure piled on it! Why does it seem that manure always comes up in my writing??

So I'm thinking this is how it works with God. In painful times or times of feeling alone or torn up or dumped on....God is just getting us ready to GROW!

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field" Matthew 13:44

And here's the thing about that corn and this stage I'm feeling right now. God's going to use the growth for a harvest, but then it's going to be tilled up and started all over again.

That's this thing we call life...

P.S...aren't they 10 times cuter in their Iowa gear?? Just saying...

From R7 to you --

Be a blessing.