He’s Cheering You On — Ami Loper
How the Lord fashions your life to develop you
Staring blankly out the window of a local coffee shop, my eyes were drawn from blank stare into sharp focus as my mind noticed something of interest even before my eyes took it all in.
It was a small group of women, obviously related, gathered around a boy, who, by his stature looked to be six or seven years old, but whose mannerisms were more fitting for a two to three-year-old. Clearly, he was not developing typically, but as I watched, these women cheered exuberantly as he clapped his hands somewhat awkwardly.
Their eyes glistened with pride and great joy as this precious boy performed the simplest of tasks. They knew what he was capable of and they knew this was a stretch for their little guy.
I couldn’t help but feel that the Lord must see us very much the same. He knows our frame, He knows our places of brokenness and weakness, how far we’ve had to come to get to where we are, and I was struck with the visual idea of Him cheering us on.
God knows, understands and has compassion for all you’ve been through. He will deal appropriately with the areas of your life where you’re weak and sensitive. At the same time, He desires healing and growth for you. How did the Lord show this to me at a coffee shop? #GrowingProcess #ChristianBlog #GodsPlans
No matter where you are in your walk with the Lord, He accepts and loves you. There is nothing you can do to make Him love you more and no place you could fail that would drive His love the minutest bit away. His love is there – immovable, unchanging, overflowing beyond what you realize.
At the same time, He desires growth. As a typical parent expects a steady incline of growth and development, so your Heavenly Father expects, and even plans training for, your growth. But not only does He seek to see us develop, He seeks to bring us wholeness in the process.
Yes, He knows what you have been through, but He also has great plans for your life ahead. Thankfully, He’s not asking us to leap large canyons from our current level of growth to the place six levels away, but He is asking us to step out in trust on the often-invisible bridge to our next level.
In Isaiah 28, there is an interesting passage that speaks of the harvester’s wisdom (who represents the Lord here). The Lord says:
“Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin, but dill is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. Does one crush grain for bread? No, he does not thresh it forever; when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it. This also comes from the LORD of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.” (vv. 27-29)
The more fragile the crop, the more gently it is threshed. And although some crops must be nearly decimated to become useful, we can trust the Lord to know what we need to get us from the difficult places life has given us to the future of hope He has in store. He will not give us more than we can bear.
I’m so thankful that God doesn’t cookie-cutter our training in Him. He tailors it to fit – fit us to be strengthened where we’re weak, to be healed where we’re broken, to be equipped where we’re called. He has a specific plan for your development. Are you ready to partner with Him to see your truest self come to life?
“…it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13
For more on making Jesus Lord of your life, read my blog, “Territorial Gods” by clicking HERE!
