adjust for growth

This past weekend, a sister of mine mentioned how I was coming up on one month of being 30 and asked me how it was going.

It was funny because, as I had been thinking about what to write next, this very topic had come to mind. I just wasn’t sure I had the language yet to fully convey my thoughts around it.

But I took her asking me that question as a nudge from the Holy Spirit to lean into what this past month has been for me and to find the words to articulate it.

I tend to process things in my own personal, quiet space. But I’m realizing that Rooted Belief is becoming a public extension of that. And if what comes from that process edifies the body, then I’m here for it.

Because one thing I’m learning is that when God begins shifting you to do things differently than you’ve been doing them, it often requires making adjustments.

Small changes. Corrections. Adapting to new circumstances. A willingness to recognize that the way you’ve been operating may need to shift in order to come into greater alignment with where God is leading you.

By definition, making adjustments can sound like a small thing, but when God is the one asking you to make them, they can touch deeply ingrained patterns, comforts, expectations, and ways of thinking.

He knows what is needed for where we are going and what is not.

And that is often where resistance and struggle thrive.

Sometimes, without even realizing it, we resist the changes that are needed. Other times, we recognize the need but choose to continue as we have been.

Which makes me think of Abram and the instructions the Lord gave to him.

“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.’”—Genesis 12:1

For where Abram was going, God gave him specific instructions concerning what he was to leave behind. Things that could represent familiarity, comfort, and security.

The perfect ingredients for what tends to make us feel safe, but aren't necessarily the best conditions for our growth.

Yet, as Abram set out in obedience to God, his nephew Lot went with him.

Scripture doesn’t tell us why Lot came along, but as their journey continued, it became clear that the way things had been could not continue.

Both Abram and Lot had accumulated so many possessions that the land could no longer support them living together, and conflict began to arise between their herdsmen. Eventually, they had to separate.

What once worked no longer did, and an adjustment had to be made.

Sometimes, when change is required, we can address what needs to change ourselves, or our circumstances may eventually make the need for change impossible to ignore.

And while the Lord isn’t asking me to leave behind the same exact things required of Abram, this last month has required some things of me that have been outside of my comfort zone.

At times, it has felt like a stripping away of what has made me feel comfortable and secure.

Yet other times, there’s been evidence of new life budding right before me that feels like the exact breath of fresh air that I need.

There’s an excitement and expectation for what’s to come, but also a bit of grieving behind what was.

And to tell you the truth, it all requires me to make some adjustments.

In my habits. Behaviors. Expectations. Relationships.

Because what worked in the last season won’t sustain me in the current.

And to proceed forward while resisting the necessary adjustments would be to hold onto what God is asking me to release.

The part that gets me a bit is that, like Abram, the expected end isn’t always defined at the beginning.

And our human minds often crave clarity before we fully commit to a thing.

But maturing is realizing that we don’t need to understand all that God is doing in order to obey Him. We don’t have to know exactly where He’s taking us for there to be trust.

So maybe you’re also in a place where you’ve been feeling the nudge of the Holy Spirit to make some adjustments in your own life.

That could look like the start of something new that requires a change in your habits.

The ending of something that requires you to adapt to new circumstances.

The need for growth and expansion that requires correction to your current way of doing things.

A changing season that requires a shift in your mindset.

Preparation for what you've been praying for that requires a shift in your expectations.

Whatever the case may be, my encouragement to you is to trust God enough to follow through with what He says needs to shift.

He knows what lies ahead. Which means that He knows what needs to remain, what needs to change, and what we may need to leave behind.

And growth often happens in the midst of discomfort.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” —Proverbs 3:5–6

My prayer for you today is that you will be so rooted in who God is that, like Abram, you will follow Him to the place that He will show you. Being willing to yield to His ways even when you are uncomfortable and have limited understanding of what lies ahead.

Because He's worthy of our trust and our obedience.