There was a time when I thought that the phrase “Growing Pains” was more of a figurative statement – than a literal one. I did not realize that as children grow, especially between the ages of 3 and 7, there are definite points at which they began to experience pain in their lower extremities. Growing pains are triggered when bones grow; stretching the bone's thick covering. Growing Pains generally concentrate in the muscles, rather than the joints and most chldren report these pains in the front of their thighs, in the calves, or behind the knees.
Where am I going with this? Well in the Spirit, I hear God speaking the words “Growing Pains,” and I believe this relates to a sort of re-aligning and stabilizing process that we must all go through on our destiny journey. As God launches us and we step out on the things He has ordained for us, those things within us that we still need to work on are exposed, and our acknowledgement of them often causes some pain. But fear not, these are only Growing Pains. You see He loves us so much that He takes the time to carefully identify those things that may be small issues at this point, but could escalate into greater problems and “open doors” for the enemy, as we continue on our journey.
Pain in and of itself in the body is a signal that something is not quite as it should be. Often, we will overlook a pain. For example, we may have a pain in our left foot. In our haste to keep moving, rather than address the pain, we ignore it by placing additional weight on our right foot. The pain in the left foot does not go away, and we soon find we have additional pain in the right foot and leg muscles because of the excessive pressure we have placed upon them. Sound familiar?
In our excitement about the journey and where it is taking us at this point, we must be careful not to overlook what God is showing us, in us, that we need to attend to. We must take the time even as we are on our way, to address these areas and ensure they are strengthened. We need to be fortified for the journey, because we understand that we have an enemy that has arrows intended to injure and if possible, take us out – along the way.
God is here as an ever present help to us. Whether you are experiencing the pains of being out of balance, of health related issues, financial management… (wow, those are three really big ones) never fear. We serve a God who is more than able, one who is not a stranger to pain or testing. One who welcomes us to come boldly to the throne of grace to get exactly what we need so that we might be strengthened for our journey and perform great exploits for the Kingdom of God.
Remember, do not fear, just take heed and oh, one more thing about “Growing Pains” in children; they typically feel the pains at night, and then they disappear in the morning. Now that’s familiar…
Psalm 30:5
5For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
© Copyright 2011 Victoria L. Burse
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