Growing spiritually can look similar to physical growth. The pace of growth is unique to each individual. Stages are often repeated in one or in multiple areas of our heart on our journey to spiritual maturity.

I’m not perfect or perfect at letting go of my expectations. I struggle letting things be messy or not sticking to the schedule. I want to maintain normalcy. Ugh, how frustrating my own shortcomings can be! Maybe you feel this way too.

The only way I will learn to walk in the Spirit, and surrender to the ropes of love that are pulling me gently along on life’s journey, is to look at the Lord. To turn my gaze to Him when distractions put me in a tizzy, and I want to react with urgency and jump at the next thing that needs to get done. To look to Him when my emotions want to get the best of me...

I have turned up my nose to what God places before me, longing for something else. I mistakenly think what I’m served isn’t good or right for me. I kick and scream. I refuse to receive what I’m given. When I come to these moments in life, I pray to choose to eat the “bowl of soup” in front of me and give thanks, trusting my Father to provide what I need.

I voiced the questions. I shared the doubts in full honesty with the One who holds me in the palm of His hand. I also talked with Him about the things going well—the areas where I felt strong and capable. I’ve learned to bring even that to the Father—my strengths, my wins, my sense of control—because the goal isn’t to feel good about myself, but to stay connected to the Vine.

Whether I choose to acknowledge it or not, life is a daily battle. In the spiritual realm, a war has been waged and we’re in it. But we were not created to fight these battles alone. We need spiritual weapons to fight spiritual battles.

While painful to realize that I had so completely bought into a lie, the realization brought so much freedom to my soul and depth to my prayer life. How I viewed God directly affected what I spoke with Him about...

A gentle calm began to settle over me. New thoughts emerged, slowly and steady at first and then they began to build like a quiet stream joining a flowing river. Every “Yikes!” started to transform into a “Yay!”

Gardens show up many times in the Bible. There are areas of my spiritual life that could use the beautification of flowers, but I just don’t want to plant them. May I encourage you to ask God to give you the motivation today? A tiny gesture of obedience can reap giant rewards.