Growth Spurts

Sometimes life is not very fun. We shouldn’t be surprised by this because scripture says we were designed for this place anyway. This is is a lovey-dovey thought, but it is hard to grasp when we are going through the times of pain and brokenness. We can agree that God has a plan for us,  pain is only temporary, and other seemingly unhelpful things in the midst of the nonsense…but how can we find hope in all of this?

Well, last night my son decided to let us know he was awake and unhappy 2 times, and these were times in which we were in the deepest of sleep. The doctor had warned us about this time in his life, and told us that he would be going through a growth spurt and wake up as much as when he was a newborn. At the time we mentally prepared for this, but he has slept through the night for so long that he had easily led us into a false sense of security.

His cries in the middle of the night last night were a combination of discomfort and pain. As parents, we can handle the crying that comes with wanting to be picked up, not wanting to nap, or even when he thinks he is hungry but is just really wanting comfort. The cries that came with pain, however, are ones that well up emotions in us that blend sadness and desperation. No one likes to hear their child in pain.

The fact is, while we hate to hear this as parents; to grow he needs to go through it. There is nothing we can do other than comfort him during this time. In order for his body to mature, and for his bones to become healthy he will have to experience this for a temporary time.

In the same way, we go through things in life on a regular basis that can be compared to spiritual growth spurts. Trials and heartaches are events that we must go through in order to grow. Even though it is painful, we are promised that God desires to comfort us. We can emerge on the other side with a new sense of purpose and a tesimony that will help someone else through their growth spurt.

Be someone’s comfort today….

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