Can I Ask You Something?

Have you ever prayed for God to change something in your life, only to discover that some of the changes needed to happen in you, too?

Maybe you prayed for a new opportunity, but when it arrived, you started questioning whether you were capable of handling it.

Maybe you’ve been learning to establish boundaries, but saying no still makes you uncomfortable.

Or you’ve recognized an unhealthy pattern and genuinely want to change it. Yet every time a familiar situation comes around, you find yourself having to work through those same feelings again.

And sometimes you’re simply tired. Your mind is tired from processing everything. Your body is tired from adjusting to new responsibilities. Your emotions are all over the place, and even relationships that used to feel comfortable may be changing.

That’s why I want us to remember that formation involves the whole person. We’re learning to think differently, respond differently, care for ourselves differently and live what God is teaching us.

And that takes time.

Remember Peter?

I love the way Jesus meets Peter in John 21. Following Peter’s denial of Jesus, we find him back on the water with some of the other disciples. They spend the night fishing without a catch. Then Jesus appears on the shore.

And before we get to that beautiful conversation about Peter’s love and responsibility, there’s breakfast. Jesus already has food prepared. He invites them to come and eat.

I don’t want us to rush past that part.

Jesus is about to have an important conversation with Peter. There are things Peter needs to face and responsibilities he will carry. But first, Jesus welcomes him into fellowship.

He feeds him before asking him to care for His sheep.

When the conversation comes, Jesus doesn’t simply tell Peter to work harder or prove himself. He repeatedly asks Peter about his love and connects Peter’s responses with responsibility for people who belong to Jesus.

He ultimately calls Peter to follow Him.

Do you see how deeply this reaches into Peter’s life? His relationship with Jesus. His identity. His love. His responsibility toward other people. His willingness to follow, even when the road ahead won’t be easy.

That’s formation.

And notice that Peter doesn’t receive permission to start directing everybody else’s journey. When he turns his attention toward another disciple, Jesus brings him back to his own responsibility to follow.

Sometimes we need that reminder during our growing seasons, too. You don’t need to keep measuring your progress against somebody else’s life.

And Then There’s Noah.

Noah gives us another beautiful picture of what it means to continue walking with God when the process is long and your responsibilities keep changing.

Genesis tells us Noah was already walking with God before he received the assignment to build the ark.

Think about that.

The relationship didn’t begin with the assignment.

Throughout the account, Noah has different things to do. There is a time to build, a time to enter, a time to remain inside and a time to observe what’s happening around him.

Then comes something particularly interesting.

Eventually, Noah can see that the ground is drying. He has evidence that his circumstances are changing. But he doesn’t leave the ark until God tells him to.

Now, that doesn’t mean he spent the entire time doing nothing. He was observing, making decisions and faithfully tending what had been entrusted to him.

But recognizing that something was changing wasn’t the same as receiving direction to begin the next part of the journey.

I think some of us need to hear that.

You can recognize growth without having to rush into whatever comes next.

You can be excited about a new opportunity and still take time to prepare. You can realize a season is changing without making every major decision immediately.

You can do what’s yours to do while trusting God with the parts of the process that aren’t yours to control.

And when the assignment changes, you can continue depending on the same God.

Let Peace Set the Pace

Just because you’re growing doesn’t mean you need to rush.

And just because something feels uncomfortable doesn’t automatically mean you’re supposed to push harder.

Sometimes the discomfort comes from learning something new. Sometimes it’s an old habit you’re having to confront. Sometimes it’s a responsibility you’re still developing the capacity to carry.

But sometimes your body is telling you that you’re exhausted. Sometimes your emotions need attention. Sometimes you need to reconsider a boundary, get some help or recognize that you’ve taken on too much.

God is forming the whole person. So we’re not going to ignore the person while concentrating exclusively on their assignment.

We’re going to keep returning to the One who knows exactly where we are in the process.

Let peace set the pace.

And when you begin feeling rushed, confused or pressured to prove that you’re growing, you can return to God’s presence.

Pause. Breathe. Surrender that pressure. Receive His peace. Then ask Him to help you recognize what’s yours to do next.

You may find that you need to act. You may need to rest, have a conversation or spend more time preparing. And sometimes you may need to make a difficult decision even while you still feel uncomfortable.

Peace doesn’t mean avoiding every difficult step. It means returning to God rather than allowing pressure to govern your response.

Seven Scriptures to Hold Close