“His divine power has
given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who
called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3
If you give me a flower or a
bouquet, I will kill it. I am not a gardener. I am terrible at tending to
things if they don’t make noise when they aren’t taken care of or haunt me
every waking moment. Plants fall in both of those categories. My desk is
essentially a graveyard where innocently cut flowers have gone to die a lot
quicker than they should. I. Am. Not. A. Grower.
I
cannot even begin to describe to you then, the peace and security this verse
brings to me. To know that my inadequacies can be covered by the glory and
goodness I know is almost unfathomable at times. No, God has never made any
house plant of mine flourish against all odds, but He has done so with me many
times. Whether I had planted myself at the bottom of an ocean of apathy, or in
dry, hot sands of disobedience, He has taken me time and time again (once I am
willing to tear up my roots) and brought me back to life. But more than living,
He has made me come alive.
What’s so absolutely AMAZING about
this little verse is that it has taught me that my failures and mistakes in
this process of growing do NOT have to equal stunted growth. There’s no
Spiritual Snakes n’ Ladders for every time we falter. God has provided so much
through the Holy Spirit and the redemption of the Cross that we can be
confident in our ability to grow as we serve Him.
To be
open enough with people of faith in so many different stages of life is such a
unique thing in the church world today, and I truly believe one of the things
“His divine power has given us” is our congregation. It’s so encouraging to go
to a church that is now embracing this idea. I get so excited talking about the
“next thing now” because I imagine all of these people thriving in the spaces
of life God has created for them, and helping one another find the tools needed
for growth- no matter what that path of growth may look like.
Written by: Brianna Vanderveen
Edited by: De Ann Sturdivant
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