Growing Pains

       This morning for some reason I started to think about how growing up that whenever my brother or I had a growth spurt it was often accompanied by growing pains. This thought led me to think about how in life situations this was true too, the process of maturing and growing into an adult usually came from experiencing frustration, pain or disappointment. And I have realized that it is a necessary thing for my spiritual growth as well, I am realizing that from the pain we learn and grow and often it is in this process that the fruits of the spirit become manifested into our character.
       I can't say this is something that just hit me, I believe God has been showing this to me for a while and I have even been expressing it in post like the one I did recently 'Grateful for the Lesson' or the one that followed 'Grateful for my Pain', I didn't realize it then but what I was grateful for was the change in my character. I have come to the realization recently that bad things happen not necessarily because we are being punished, but sometimes because God sees that we have done well in one aspect and is now growing and teaching us so we can do more.
       I can say as someone who used to be a pre-school teacher I myself have done that to children in my class before, if I saw that one child was doing well in a certain area I would push them to the next developmental goal in that area. Often that meant for a period of time they would struggle as they tried to grasp this new concept, this typically caused them frustration because just like adults, they hated struggling. But after I helped them and with time and practice they would overcome the struggle and have a new skill (or fruit if we compare it to the spiritual sense) to show for it as well as the feeling of gratification for overcoming their obstacle.
       I see, and now finally understand that this is the process the Bible talks about with verses like Romans 5:3-4; Hebrews 12:6-11; James 1:2-4; and 1 Peter 5:10 among others. They knew that suffering, frustration, and pain were only for a season and when that season ended it would bring them closer to God by purging them of their sinful flesh nature and instead producing fruits of the spirit, if they continually sought His guidance through it. I wanted to stress to you that they had to continually seek Him during the season of growth to produce fruit because it can't be done without God. Likewise, when I was teaching I could not set a piece of paper and pencil in front of a pre-school child and tell them to write their name without first helping and teaching them to do this, they had to seek out or take the offered help in order to progress.
       I don't know if this made sense to anyone else, maybe it's just me. Regardless, I pray we have growing pains, and I pray that we seek God during them so that we may have the good fruits, the fruits of the spirit manifested in our lives. I pray that during our storms we lean on Jesus and listen to His words learning to follow Him in obedience, and that we continually seek to honor and glorify Him. Amen.

Psalm 1:1-3        
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

Philippians 1:6        
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.