TURNING POINT TUESDAY: HAVE YOU STOPPED GROWING? Without Growth We Cannot Fulfill our DESTINY.

Happy Turning Point Tuesday!  Do you think you have reached the end of your GROWTH CYCLE?  I think it is only normal for us to assume that because we are 18 or over that we are done Growing.  The type of Growth I want to deal with is Emotional and Spiritual Growth.  We have all heard the comment, "I am a Grown Woman or Man."  I even joke with my husband when he is amazed by how much I can eat and I tell him, "What do you expect I am a GROWN WOMAN!"  The sad fact is many adults have GROWN BODIES but INFANT MENTALITIES.  I remember a time in my life when it appeared to everyone else I was doing well in life.  Yes I had a career, a car, and a home but instead of growing I was shrinking.  I say this because I allowed other things and people to take time away from the most important priorities in my life.  I did not  feed my Spirit with the right food to stimulate Growth.  What are you feeding your spirit?  Many people are feeding their spirit with unhealthy relationships, stressful situations we bring upon ourselves, negative music and T.V. shows, and activities that do not contribute to our success.  If you are spending more time on the phone talking about people than helping someone in your community, you have to assess if you are shrinking?  Or if you spend more time hanging out than working on how you can become a better person inside and out you might be shrinking. 

This message is not to point the finger at anyone, because as I have shared before every time I write it forces me to look at my own dirty laundry.  My hopes are that together we can start implementing plans that will lead to a New You and a New Me.  As long as we are breathing in this universe we should always be in a Growth Stage.  My heart is that people will start getting rid of relationships, things, and activities that ARE NOT adding to your Maturity.  Ask yourself are you better off today than you were one year ago?  What about 5 years ago?  If you are on a downward spiral it is okay, because you still have a chance to do something about it.  It is time to break some strongholds in your life that are preventing you from fulfilling your Destiny.  What are you doing that makes you feel AWFUL afterwards?  If you honestly answer this question it is the first step to GROWTH.  Do you have a habit or personality trait that makes you feel Filthy?  This is the very thing that God wants you to hand over to him.  Until we completely surrender our shortcomings to God we will never be all we are intended to be.  When I speak to young people I tell them to imagine having someone video record them 24/7 without them knowing they are being taped.  What if the footage was aired on a well known T.V. network?  Better yet, why not just show it to their parents, teachers, or people they respect in the community.  For the adults who know without a doubt you are GROWN, what if someone taped you?  Just think about how differently we would act if we knew we were being taped and all our friends and family would see it.  The sad news is we are more concerned about what other people think of us than doing what is right and what God thinks about us.  We have to get to a place where we are Determined not to revert back to the mind and ways of an infant.  Do it for your development, but also do it for the people that look up to you (children). Ephesians 4:14-15 Amplified. So then, we may no longer be children, tossed (like ships) to and fro between chance and gusts of teach, dealing and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, (the prey of) the cunning and cleverness of unscrupulous men, (gamblers engaged) in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead.  Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth (in all things, speaking truly, living truly).  Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, (even) Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

Straddling the fence might feel okay in the beginning, but sooner or later you are going to become weary of standing in that uncomfortable position for too long.  The only way to find peace is to pick the Side of the Fence that will promote and take you to the Next Level in your Emotional and Spiritual well-being.  Start planting the Right Seeds in the Right Soil to Reap the Right Results.  Nobody in this world has arrived in the area of Growth and if you think you have you are WRONG!  There are always areas in our life that we can improve upon if we are serious about impacting this world for the better.  We only have one LIFE to live, so why NOT add Excitement by Growing to Magnificent Levels each and everyday.  Please go on this journey with me and I promise you will feel a Weight Lifted off of your Spirit that allows you to devote your energy to areas that are most important to you.

*If you always feel good when you are around certain people, check whether or not they make you feel good because they are Adding to your life, or if you feel good because you are SHRINKING with them (comfort zone).  I leave you with the quote below.  Have a Great rest of the week Growing into Your Dynamic Destiny!!

"We find comfort among those who agree with us-Growth among those who don't." Frank A. Clark

DETERMINED EVENTS SENT TO IGNITE a NEW YOU!