If you came over from my devotion on Encouragement for Today, welcome! Please don’t leave before checking out the free goodies just for you at the end of the post.

I once dated a guy who grew 5 inches in one summer.

That super fast growth caused him to develop a problem with his joints and knees. He was literally growing so fast that his body didn’t know how to handle it.

He struggled with his new height. His longer legs. His arms that felt like he was dragging them behind him. He banged his head on door frames. He felt awkward and clumsy because, well . . . he was.

Sometimes God asks us to grow. It feels too fast. We aren’t sure what to do with the new challenges. We are 100% certain there is someone else that could do this better.

I have such great news for you! We grow into our giftings. My high school boyfriend eventually became tall. That might sound odd, because he was tall. He just didn’t know what to do with all that extra height. Over time, he wasn’t just a tall guy, but a tall guy who lived like a tall guy.

I don’t even know where that old boyfriend is, but he’s not the star of this story.

You are. 

God is raising up a movement of believers across the nation. He sees the gaps. He sees those who are lost. He sees how people are confused about who he is, and he’s asking us to love greater and to reflect who he is.

His mission has never changed and for some inexplicable reason he uses us to fulfill that beautiful plan.

Maybe you have felt God asking you to grow in your faith. You feel him calling — to believe in his words. To pray. To put aside some things that really don’t have a lot of eternal impact, so that you can discover the adventure of following him. And you feel ungifted. Unqualified. You are afraid he’s asking you to do something that goes against everyone else’s expectations of you (including your own.)

I hear you. I know exactly how that feels, but there’s some incredible news.

That doesn’t stop us from growing. 

Let’s look at 5 ways that we can grow our (super) natural gifting.

Accept that its for you

Like my old boyfriend, unexpected growth might not feel natural at first. That’s when all our apprehensions rise up. Push back from that first thought. You are invited to be part of God’s mission, and it’s not based on how smart, how talented, how beautiful, or even how good you are.

It’s based on two things:

  1. God’s love for you
  2. What he sees in you that you don’t yet

 

Surrender

If you are around me for any amount of time, you will hear this word fall from my lips. It’s become key in my growth process.

Brave prayer is surrendered prayer. Brave women are surrendered women.

Don’t for a moment think that surrender is giving up. It’s surrendering to the truth that God knows you. That he sees the eternal impact of what you you do, and who you are as you follow him. He doesn’t label it as big or small, but in ways that we’ll only understand in eternity.

Surrender to his plan for you.

 

Surround yourself with others who want to move with you

This is so key.

I have a few people that I care about that I call balloon poppers. They call themselves realists.

Me: I feel God calling me to [fill in the blank].

Balloon popper: Don’t you know that you are [fill in the blank] or that you’ll have to [fill in the blank] or how hard [fill in the blank] will be.

Pop. Pop. Pop. 

God made realists too, and he uses them in powerful ways, but if God is the one asking you to trust him or to take a step, he’s the boss. We don’t throw those realists out of our lives, because they love you and their questions are valid.

But we do move people in.

Surround yourself intentionally with women who will cheer you on as you take that hard step, who are aware of the obstacles, but believe that God is bigger, and surround yourself with those who long to grow in their faith and relationship with him.

Accept that it’s going to be awkward

Growth isn’t seamless. You will bump into the door frame. You will make mistakes. You will fall on your face. You will get back up.

Mistakes aren’t fatal. They aren’t failure. They are part of the growth process.

Don’t forget the {super} in your natural giftings

1 Peter 4:10 reminds us to use whatever gift we have received to serve others. That’s awesome, but there’s even more. There is a supernatural aspect to faith that cannot be ignored (though we often do).

In John 16:7, a group of afraid followers stood in front of Jesus as he told them he was going away. He made a promise. He was sending a Helper, the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the one speaking here. He told those believers that they’d have supernatural help.

Those same words are for us.

The Holy Spirit is a teacher. He offers wisdom. He knows the plans God has for you, and works hand-in-hand with those plans. He empowers. He offers direction.

We are not alone in this, not by a mile. You have natural giftings, but we also are offered {super}natural help.

Growth isn’t a one-time deal

My old boyfriend eventually stopped growing. I think he hit 6′ 3″. I’m not sure, but supernatural growth isn’t like that all.

We’ll grow and stretch and learn for the rest of our faith-filled lives as we follow Jesus. We’ll climb one mountain, stretch our arms in the air in praise, and at some point we’ll climb another. That’s the beauty of {super}natural gifts and growth.

Our Heavenly Father is patient with us. He sees what we do not. He allows us to grow, sometimes at a fast pace, at other times our growth comes when we are completely still.

Yet it’s all for one reason — his love for the world, and for us.

Suzie

A fun announcement and a free gift

A new 21-day study!

On October 23rd, we’ll begin the study, “21 Invitations as We Walk with Jesus.”

We’ll walk with Jesus through a portion of my new book, Come With Me Devotional: A Yearlong Adventure in Following Jesus. We’ll explore one invitation from Jesus each day, and how to live that in real life.

I’ll have some fun guests and giveaways. I’ll pop in on Fridays with a video teaching. It’s short. It’s powerful. It’s just for you.

If you aren’t subscribed to the blog, today is your day. When you subscribe I have a free gift for you. 

 

I’d love to send you five free audio devotionals from my newest book, Come With Me Devotional: A Yearlong Adventure in Following JesusI’m also including a free 5-Day Sample of my devotional along with a Scripture Journal printable for you to journal how Jesus speaks to you through these 5 days.

Subscribe here to receive the free downloads.

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