A Season of Growth and Learning

"To everything there is a season, anda time to every purpose under heaven:" Ecclesiastes 3:1

I enjoy taking a look back at all of my different seasons throughout my walk with Christ, and seeing what He has taught me. But this year I can't necessarily pinpoint one specific thing I have learned , so I will call this year a season of immense growth and learning. It has blown my mind how much God grows you when you open yourself up. The experience has been, in a word, amazing.

A few things God has taught me this year...

• If anything consumes my time and thoughts more than God does its an idol.
• Sometimes you have to quit talking, be quiet, and just listen.
• Expect God to do big things inyour life, every single day.
• God is a father to the fatherless.
• Amidst the chaos that life throws at you, you can find complete peace in God.
• If you can't love well at home yet, don't even try to love in the youth group.
• Ask God to stretch and shape you, stripping you down to nothing but the cross.
• Joy is better than situational happiness.
• God makes beautiful things, I am beautiful because God made me.
• I'm created by God, and worthy of being treasured.
• Being broken is at the core of what it means to be a Christian, because its then that we can be completely filled with Christ.
• We aren't promised another breath, so thank God for everything.
• Unrequited love hurts, imagine how God feels when we don't talk to Him.
• Holiness is extremely important to God.
• God's will should be the desire of Your heart.
• You should long to glorify Christ in every aspect of your life.
• God always knows better.

His Daughter,

Hannah Renee'

Stretch Me

Sometimes I feel spiritually lost. I'm not sure if that's the right way to word it, but basically I'm confused as to what kind of direction He is moving me in in terms of growth. Usually I know what He is asking me to work on in my life, but right now I have no idea. I feel like I'm craving growth so much; searching desperately for more fulfillment than what I'm getting but I don't know how to get it. I read the Bible, I talk to God, I go to church and am in fellowship with other believers, I'm reading christian books to help push my faith..what else can I do? I am truly not trying to be prideful, I know that growth can only come from God alone, and I want Him to push me.

Thursday during prayer meeting I stumbled upon Romans 5:3-5:

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." Maybe it sounds weird, possibly even crazy but I want to go through trials, because I know that God is good and will fulfill me. Every time I reach the end of my desert I am so much more stronger and passionately in love with Christ because He satisfied me. I know that difficult times WILL come. But until then I long for God to stretch me..to my breaking point. I crave to be pushed spiritually to a place where I don't think I can go on. So that God can truly empty me of myself and fill me with Him. I want so badly to be molded into His likeness. Even if it kills. I want to be so broken that I have NO OTHER choice but to fully and completely lean and rely on Christ with every single ounce of myself. I want to be transformed.

His Daughter,

Hannah Renee'