Welcome to Motivational Mondays!
First things first, what is Motivational Mondays?
Just like it sounds, to motivate, to empower, and to encourage you on the first day of a fresh week. I don't know about you but Mondays can be a drag for me, so sometimes words of encouragement and positivity are helpful to start my day off right.
Motivational Monday's topic is: It Just Takes Time
If you are anything like me when you do something you want to see results and you want to see them immediately. You may get discouraged when you don't see the results that you were anticipating.
Let's think about it in the terms of losing weight. Everyone at some point or another has wanted to shed a few pounds so you exercise for a few days and change up your diet, but when you step on the scale and you see little to no progress you jump right back into old eating habits and no exercise.
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
1 Peter 2:2
I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,
1 Corinthians 3:2
For a baby Christian who is starting out, reading the bible can be extremely overwhelming and hard to wrap your head around. There is A LOT that God asks of us and even more that he requires. We as a generation have learned to do things the wrong way and must unlearn these things. We are guilty of wanting Microwave-ready blessings and results when full well it takes preparation for Oven-ready quality. We are so accustomed to instant gratification that the thought of waiting is unbearable. If we tried to make all of these changes all at once it would be impossible.
Keep in mind that the journey that God has us going on is a slow-going process. It's not a marathon or a sprint, it takes time to mature spiritually. Yes, some people may mature faster than you and some much slower, but remember that the bible tells us not to compare ourselves to our peers.
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Matthew 7:13-14
On this journey, we are bound to have some ups and downs, detours, Trials and Tribulations, and roadblocks. All of which takes time for us to correct ourselves, readjust, realign, and obey God's will and his word. This is why it is so important to give yourself a break and take it all in. Mistakes...They Happen and Spiritual Growth and Maturity doesn't happen overnight. God isn’t looking or wanting for us to be perfect because he knows that we will never be. Only God is perfect and only he is without fault. What God truly wants is for us to put our best foot forward and put 100 percent of our effort into everything we do. God wants to know that we are trying. Remember that God is always watching and he is always listening. He knows you better than you know yourself.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11
I don’t know about you, but I am guilty of being so hard on myself in everything that I do, that I create anxiety and make myself overwhelmed. For me, it can be such a task just to get out of my own head and trust that no matter what the situation God has me!
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:5
What has helped me to slow down and take the time to do one thing at a time is creating a list. Creating a list of things that I want to improve upon or work on about myself helps me to stay on track and allows me to see my growth. Some things that are high on my list that I feel needs the most improvement are my Connection Through Prayer, carving out time to spend with God, and my Unbelief. God already knows what our life will be like from moment to moment. We just have to trust in the process and believe that God knows what he is doing. I take comfort in knowing this!
**I hope everyone has a safe and blessed week and I will see you all on Saturday for our Weekly Topic Saturdays**
~Just Breathe...A Golden Dream~
Amen