Change. Comfort. Conformity.

For someone who historically has not enjoyed major change in my life, I have encountered a good bit lately...and surprisingly have lived to write about it! And even more significantly, I've come to a place where I've learned to embrace this thing called "change" as part of growth...albeit uncomfortable, a tad bit painful, and downright emotionally draining. I've learned in a new way what it means to trust...and not the "trust where your heart is leading" kind of trust (because we know the heart can be deceitful), but the "trust where God is leading" kind of blind trust.

For me, this has meant saying NO to the approval and satisfaction of the popular majority and saying YES to stepping out in faith when it hasn't made sense to many (and admittedly, often times, myself). All this recent change in my life has brought about wonderful, deep, significant conversations with family and friends where I've been able to share the raw and intimate details of the work God has been performing. On the flip side, this same change has caused some heart-wrenching conversations with God and others where I've been challenged to consider my motives and some of the shadows in my life that I had long forgotten. What has emerged, however, is a clarity and a renewing of my own spirit that has been blazoned with an excitement and anticipation that, to date, I have never known.

As I set out on a new adventure and chapter in my personal journey, it is my hope that change is no longer something I flee from, but rather something that I continue to learn to embrace with a fury and vigor...for with that comes new perspective and much adventure.

Thinking back over the past several years (some good, some so-so, and some just downright awful), I am beginning to recognize God's sovereignty and divine appointments as He has prepared me and pruned me for this next step in my life. I am able to clearly identify moments, interactions, and conversations that have steered me in one direction or the next, knowledge that has been bestowed upon me (whether I was willingly seeking it or not), and opportunities that have been afforded to me that have further shaped my thoughts and actions.

Allow me to brag on my God for a moment as I promise you that my story is one of recognition of the redemption and healing that has only been seen as such as the minutes have ticked away. I challenge you to think of your own life and take a moment to allow God to reveal the redemptive work He has done or is in the process of doing for you, too...

Part of this process for me has been acknowledging my out-stretched hand for that which is comfortable. This has come in the form of security in relationships, jobs, and the never-ending strive for acceptance from others. In that, I had wandered down paths that have transformed my mind and life into something that was unrecognizable, self-centered, and quite pitiful. Over the past few months, as I've evaluated the most intimate details and moments of my life I can happily say that these valleys that I once traveled were necessary in order to be called to the place where I currently stand...on solid ground where the rains and storms can come and I know I will never stand alone. And, not to say that i will never again go through valleys, for God promises WHEN not IF, but I know when I do the comforts that I once latched onto mean absolutely nothing.

Removing my claws from this attachment to comfort is an on-going process, a battle that is renewed each and every day. But let this be my stance to negate conformity. No longer do I desire to be seen accepted in the world's eyes, but rather I deeply intend to have my moments--second by second--be intentional as I strive for approval in no one's eyes but my God.

So, I will embrace change, forgo comfort, and deny conformity when it stands in the way of being a life that is changed by a Love that surpasses all understanding...