God is always seeking to work in our lives to shape us more into the image of Christ. He seeks to teach us with relationships with other people, through His word and with situations and circumstances in our life.
Some situations and circumstances are out of our control and allowed by God to teach, shape, mold or mature us. In these situations and circumstances we can either:
- Learn and grow by adapting, changing and growing through those things that we cannot change.
- Deny, rebel and fight those things we cannot change insuring increasing unhappiness and despair.
Some situations and circumstances are the result of our own conscious or unconscious patterns of behavior. In those situations and circumstances we can either:
- Continue in those patterns that bring or enhance love, grace and joy to our lives and those we touch. Recognize and change behavior patterns that bring frustration, despair and discouragement. Behavior is learned. Therefore, behavior can be unlearned and changed. That is how we grow.
- Continue to repeat and recycle the same patterns and fail to learn and grow.
If you are not interested in learning, changing and growing you need not continue reading, however if you are interested in learning, changing and growing look ahead at the following questions and be honest with yourself. You may want to get a separate sheet of paper or two or even a trusted friend to help with the following:
- What do you think God is teaching you?
- Through recent events in your life?
- Through events of the past year?
- Through events of the past five years?
- What pattern(s) of behavior in your life do you see that bring fulfillment and joy?
- What pattern(s) of behavior in your life do you see that cause struggles, frustration and discouragement?
- Where do you see that you need to focus the most energy & effort on change?
- Where or to whom can you go to get help in these growth areas?
- When will you start?
