Growth:Maturity:Love

Prayer is one of the most, sorry--the most-- powerful tool in life. I personally prefer the Serenity Prayer....

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, 

the courage to change the things I can, the wisdom to know the difference. 

I have been praying it on the daily, sometimes twice a day. I have to say that it is peaceful. It also allows for reframing and growth and maturity. It is also in these moments that I have recently been able to connect with the "how" God is answering my prayers. I think sometimes few people are able to connect with this... but I will not go into that in this blog. 

I have noticed change, in myself. A rebirth, maybe? A maturity, definitely. A growth, absolutely. In an attempt to connect a biblical understanding of growth... that is to understand that change appropriately happens. Interesting enough a verse that I have recently dissected came up, as well as a statement that someone I hold relatively high in the realm of respect has stated. 

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8, 10-13 (the verse will be bolded and my dialogue will be normal)

4 Love is patient, love is kind. it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 

The growth that can be seen in this is in the patience, the kindness, the disregard for envy of the others actions or choices, the lack of boasting of ones position (also the defusion of triangulating your feelings and emotions, reactions with others outside your love) and it is not proud rather logical and rational; as well as the not boasting and not being proud--the maturity and growth is found in the keeping of your private life between those involved rather than triangulating out because of anxiety. 

5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, 

it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love is for the purpose of teamwork, togetherness, and growth within the system between two people. Love is not for yourself, it does not react to situations, and in the event of discussion it stays in that moment and is not called upon for later ammunition... the growth comes from speaking your mind and then allowing it to end there, not longer being angered by the same situation over and over and over and over again. And growth in not bringing it up continuously. Also, in the ability to actually and completely let the anger go and to not just let it go because you want to fix the problem. Can you honestly say, I am not longer angered about "X" because I can understand and respect your stance, and I still love you. 

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 

Love does not seek out (maybe through triangulation) answers through assumptions, rather speaks only with the truth and the facts of what is, not with what you "think" 

7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. 

This is best achieved, through the current growth in the willingness to let go for the protection of: self, relationship, safety, etc. It trusts the process and steps towards directions. It always hopes for the best and safest cases, and it preserves the dignity of those involved. 

8 Love never fails... 

Love will always win, even when it does not go the way you want, it is powerful

10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 

Love is completing to the soul... God so loved His SON, and Jesus so loved us that we can live. And through the completeness, not necessarily through the experience of love, rather through the understanding of what it means, and how you can appreciate and accept it from not only yourself, and from others too. The "parts" in your life disappear and are filled with completeness. Not to be confused with filling voids, it is adding to the parts to build upon what is already there. 

11 when I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. 

Here is where the growth and maturity part comes into play. It is hoped or understood that people grow and mature. In my personal journey, I made choices, comments, decisions, etc as a child, and through the growth and maturity that has progressed overtime, especially in relationships, I have grown out of those childish ways. So is it fair to still be questioned on those choices, when growth and maturity progress?
The person I previously mentioned fits in this category...He has shown me more maturity and manhood, womanhood or "grown man" "grown woman" than anyone else I have known. And for that I am thankful and grateful because it created change in my life which brought me to the next statement....
  when I became a woman, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 

Again I will ask, is it fair to be viewed in those childish ways, when there is so much growth and maturity that has since occurred?
 In a relationship, we are called to grow with each other and to LOVE each other through those growths (it keeps no record of wrongdoing). 

12 for now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 

There is definitely more growing to do, but I can promise that I am no where near the childish ways that I was. I can say that when I look in the mirror I see more of who I am and who I wish to be, and less of who others have molded me to be. In this section of the verse, it seems to be that as we grow and mature, we start to express those growths and maturities outward and it becomes a reflection, as others see us, we too see ourselves in the mirror, AND as we see ourselves, so others see us too. This does not mean that we have to mold to how others see us, because they might be wrong in their vision, AND it also does not mean that we must expect others to see us how we see ourselves because it is okay for others to view things differently. 

13 And now these remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.  

At the end of the day what it comes do to are these three questions, and your answers will tell you what you need to know:
1. Do you have FAITH?
2. Do you have HOPE?
3. Do you LOVE?
If you can answer yes to these three questions then the rest of the stuff is just details.

Long story...short. Everyday we are growing and maturing, we are moving forward. And if we are not doing these things we are stagnant. If we were meant to stay the same, have the same views without change, make the same choices day after day, then what would life be? 

I am a better me for having met some people who taught me to view the world a little different, 

and to allow me that change in perspective <3 nbsp="" p="">

Growing, Maturing, & Loving 

XOXOX