The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces. Proverbs 10:8 (NLT)  

It’s been one year since my family and I moved from Alabama to SF, accepting the adventure of leading the Kids Ministry at CornerstoneSF. It’s been a divine gift and a learning experience every step of the way. I’ve learned how to separate my trash, adapt to the culture, parallel park, engage a new faith family, raise a family in the city, and so much more. I remember the first six months feeling like a crash course in understanding San Francisco. Anxiety and fear gripped me many times, making me want to turn back.

Right about the time I thought about throwing in the towel, I started to branch out. I needed something fresh and new in my life. Yes, I know there was already so much newness, so why did I want more? What I needed was something to catapult me into another realm of growth. That’s when I discovered running. I had a few friends that wanted to teach me and I was game.

I began to run with a crew of really motivated people. They encouraged me to keep going when I wanted to quit, and as I pushed through the physical pain, I realized a spiritual concept. I was capable of more than I thought. I could learn more. Grow more. Aspire to be more. It was all up to my attitude. The breakthrough came from letting go and releasing myself to embrace a new challenge. Now, I never want to miss a run, because it gives me a rush of energy that also motivate my spiritual life.

What keeps us from challenging ourselves to become more? When we are teachable we embrace the truth that we don’t know everything and that there’s so much more to this journey! Especially in our relationship with Jesus. So, what keeps us blocked?

I see three blocks that keep us from breaking through.

During this past year, I discovered a deep fear of failure. I didn’t want to learn because that meant I had to try things that were new or different. What if I failed? What if people noticed? Would they lose confidence in me? I had to step out of the boat of fear and grab a hold of courage. Courage is moving forward even when fear is present!

Insecurity is the next block I experienced that created great anxiety for me. I had this idea that I could only go so far. When I saw others excel around me, I wanted to cave inward. My thoughts turned negative, causing me to focus on myself. To leave insecurity behind, we have to wake up each morning ready to discover what’s out there. God desires to take us to divine places. He will wait graciously for us to move out of insecurity so He can teach us more. In my journey, vulnerability was the only way to succeed. So if I didn’t understand something, I let my friends know.

Offense is another block that causes us to press pause on learning. We like to harbor offense and make excuses for why we can’t forgive, move forward with a project at work, or work things out with our family. It’s been a challenging season of learning how to navigate through deep waters of past hurts. The only way I pushed through was to accept what I couldn’t change.

Acceptance leads us to true surrender. 

My unexpected move from Alabama to SF has become the best learning experience of my entire life. Beyond my years in college, my ministry experience, and my childhood, my time here has caused me to CLING more than ever to Christ.

The only way to push past the blocks that will come as we press through the pain of growing is to CLING to God. I like to find a song to lead me towards God during these times. Right now my current jam is You’re Not Finished Yet by the The Belonging Co. 

Knowing that God is not finished with you is motivation to keep going. He has more He wants you to know! We need His leading while we’re learning!

I encourage you, if you feel like you’re getting stuck, and you want to move into a new realm of growth, step out of the boat. Try something new. If you’re not a reader, learn how to become one. If your desire is to build your faith, then jump into a Shape Group or start a devotional routine each day. If you’re like me and your season feels uncertain and new, embrace it and celebrate it.

Celebration is key! Never forget to celebrate the wins as you learn and grow! Let’s enjoy learning! It’s a gift. Jesus is not finished with you yet! Let’s GO!