Growing Pains

This past week, I have been thinking about my time here in PNG. I was thinking about one of my patients I had earlier. He was a teenager who had ankle and foot pain. He was desperate to get rid of his pain because he loved playing all kinds of sports. He saw a doc in the states who mentioned in his epiphyseal plates (growth plates) that they were uneven and causing friction leading to pain. The doc said it would work itself out over next couple of years, but that he would have to live with the pain. Luckily we found some things that eased his pain like taping his heel and giving him some ankle braces. It was so great to see him later, he was so excited to be running faster and jumping higher with almost no pain.

As I think back over this I find myself thinking more about growth and growing pains. It is God's nature for us to grow. With normal physical growth there are growing pains (like cramps and such), but things are worse when plates refuse to move and grow with the body and are uneven.

Growing spiritually has similar effects as well. When we experience normal growth there are pains that come along with that. Going from spiritual milk to solid foods requires much more work. It's easy to drink milk, but add solid foods and that requires chewing and increase in digestion. But when we are spiritually uneven or off balance that can cause even more pain.

Many of us resist growth because we do not like change. We fear those things we may have to leave behind and we fear the things that may be ahead, the uncertainty of the future. We add to the pain by being off balance, being disobedient to God's word and refusing to move forward because we are comfortable just the way we are.

God's plan for us is that we are in a constant state of growth. This allows us to fulfill His will by becoming more like Christ. We do not need to fear or resist growth because with growth comes more peace and joy.

I feel like PNG has been a growth spurt for me. Some things I resisted and made things harder than they should be, but I found when I just let go and trusted in God's provision, I did find peace. I want to grow and become more like Christ and understand His ways. Yet I find myself hanging on as well to the former things, not quite sure I want to leave things behind. For it is almost time to go back home and I have many questions. Will things look different? Will I look different, will anyone recognize me? The cool thing about this is that nothing in my life is certain, definitely not the future and yet I have felt more joy and peace than I have ever before in my life. How is that possible? Because I know that My God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He will always love me, He will always protect me. I know He holds my future in His hands.

While I know this is a process and I will always be growing and often resisting. I hope to remember that the pain is much more bearable if I just give in and let God do what He wants in my life and just embrace His plan, embracing the life that was created to bring Him glory!

So what will you do? Will you embrace growth or be like those stingy, stubborn uneven epiphyseal plates and cause yourself much more pain than required?

The thief comes only to steal, kill, destroy; I(Jesus) have come so that you may have life and have it more abundantly. John 10:10