Your Soul in the Process of Salvation is Like a Newborn Baby
As I sit here wrestling my thoughts, feelings of depression, anxiety, feeling drained, unmotivated, discontent, and disconnected, I question whether this “God thing” is really for me, am I even doing it right? Viewing Christianity as a prescription pill that is supposed to relieve my symptoms and make me feel good. Taking on the persona of King David in Psalm 13,
O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?
How long will you look the other way?
How long will you look the other way?
I had to admit to myself that I wanted purpose without process, a fast track pass to destiny without any trials or tribulations as if the Bible did not promise me that in fact I will suffer and there will be trouble (John 16:33). In my head, I thought to be a child of God somehow made me exempt from trials both physical and emotional, that Paul was not talking to me in Ephesians 6.
I love Jesus how can depression, anxiety, a “loss” of purpose, & a lack of desire to go to church ever become my reality?
However, accepting Jesus is just the beginning, just like the moment of conception for an expectant mother. She cannot see her baby, hold her baby, she has no idea what they will look like, what they will become, or even what kind of mother she will actually be. But what she does know is that she will do everything in her power to deliver her baby into the world and raise them up in the vision that she has for them. During pregnancy, there are prenatal vitamins, regular doctor visits, books & blogs to read, groups to join, shopping, space being designated for this new life, things being built, classes to take, and lots of preparation. Some of these things a mother begins before she even starts to show, before she feels movement, before she hears the heartbeat, before others can see that there is a new life being created, that transformation is occurring.
As the baby inside her grows her body has to stretch in order to accommodate this new life that is being developed and these changes can oftentimes be uncomfortable, but she is so excited about what’s to come she gladly accepts the discomfort. For 9 months she is constantly changing as the life inside her develops and grows. All of these things occur until the date of delivery, and on that day she experiences pain as her body contracts in order to push the baby into the world. From the moment she lays her eyes on this new life she is even more in love now that she can see what was once hidden inside of her.
Even though she spent the last 9 months developing this new life, the journey is just beginning. This new life must be nurtured, cared for, fed, bathed, held, touched, clothed, taken to the doctor for regular visits, RAISED. She is legally obligated to take care of her child for the next 18 years before they are viewed as an “adult”.
If it takes us 18 years to be viewed as a “mature adult” in the laws eyes, why do we believe that one church service, one prayer, one week of fasting, tithing sporadically, singing a song, lifting our hands, crying our tears should be enough to make us into a “mature Christian?” With God all things are possible & He can instantly deliver (Matthew 19:26), but what can we learn, how can we mature, how do we become stronger, & wiser without the process, the experience, the exercise, the discipline, the consistency, the growing pains?
As a parent your child looks and depends on you to take care of them, to feed them, to clothe them, transport them, comfort them, play with them, to raise them. As God’s children, we can look to Him to do the same thing for us, He is our Father and He wants us to understand the extent of His love for us and how we should see Him as our go to in every season of life (Ephesians 3:18/Matthew 18:3).
Just as a parent is extremely cautious with their newborn, God takes that same caution with us, but unlike a newborn baby we have to set up our own appointments, we have to go to Him, seek His presence, read His Word, surround ourselves with others who seek Him. But the Good News is when we come close to God, He will come close to us, (James 4:8) and as we allow Him to raise us we become more like Him (John 15).
We would not give a newborn baby adult responsibility and expect them to be successful at completing it; in the same sense why would we put the expectation on ourselves to have it all together in an instance, for 24 years of thinking and behaving to be erased without a trace. In Ephesians 4, Paul lays out the blueprint for how our lives with Christ should look, but in verse 23 he says, “Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.” Renewal requires a process, requires time, requires patience, requires consistency, requires diligence.
So take on the persona of a child, of a newborn baby totally dependent on their parent. We have the ultimate parent, our Heavenly Father who loves us wide, long, deep, has plans to prosper us & we can be “certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns (Philippians 1:6)”
Stay in His face & accept His grace!
Preaching to myself,
Imani Nailah
I love Jesus how can depression, anxiety, a “loss” of purpose, & a lack of desire to go to church ever become my reality?
However, accepting Jesus is just the beginning, just like the moment of conception for an expectant mother. She cannot see her baby, hold her baby, she has no idea what they will look like, what they will become, or even what kind of mother she will actually be. But what she does know is that she will do everything in her power to deliver her baby into the world and raise them up in the vision that she has for them. During pregnancy, there are prenatal vitamins, regular doctor visits, books & blogs to read, groups to join, shopping, space being designated for this new life, things being built, classes to take, and lots of preparation. Some of these things a mother begins before she even starts to show, before she feels movement, before she hears the heartbeat, before others can see that there is a new life being created, that transformation is occurring.
As the baby inside her grows her body has to stretch in order to accommodate this new life that is being developed and these changes can oftentimes be uncomfortable, but she is so excited about what’s to come she gladly accepts the discomfort. For 9 months she is constantly changing as the life inside her develops and grows. All of these things occur until the date of delivery, and on that day she experiences pain as her body contracts in order to push the baby into the world. From the moment she lays her eyes on this new life she is even more in love now that she can see what was once hidden inside of her.
Even though she spent the last 9 months developing this new life, the journey is just beginning. This new life must be nurtured, cared for, fed, bathed, held, touched, clothed, taken to the doctor for regular visits, RAISED. She is legally obligated to take care of her child for the next 18 years before they are viewed as an “adult”.
If it takes us 18 years to be viewed as a “mature adult” in the laws eyes, why do we believe that one church service, one prayer, one week of fasting, tithing sporadically, singing a song, lifting our hands, crying our tears should be enough to make us into a “mature Christian?” With God all things are possible & He can instantly deliver (Matthew 19:26), but what can we learn, how can we mature, how do we become stronger, & wiser without the process, the experience, the exercise, the discipline, the consistency, the growing pains?
As a parent your child looks and depends on you to take care of them, to feed them, to clothe them, transport them, comfort them, play with them, to raise them. As God’s children, we can look to Him to do the same thing for us, He is our Father and He wants us to understand the extent of His love for us and how we should see Him as our go to in every season of life (Ephesians 3:18/Matthew 18:3).
Just as a parent is extremely cautious with their newborn, God takes that same caution with us, but unlike a newborn baby we have to set up our own appointments, we have to go to Him, seek His presence, read His Word, surround ourselves with others who seek Him. But the Good News is when we come close to God, He will come close to us, (James 4:8) and as we allow Him to raise us we become more like Him (John 15).
We would not give a newborn baby adult responsibility and expect them to be successful at completing it; in the same sense why would we put the expectation on ourselves to have it all together in an instance, for 24 years of thinking and behaving to be erased without a trace. In Ephesians 4, Paul lays out the blueprint for how our lives with Christ should look, but in verse 23 he says, “Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.” Renewal requires a process, requires time, requires patience, requires consistency, requires diligence.
So take on the persona of a child, of a newborn baby totally dependent on their parent. We have the ultimate parent, our Heavenly Father who loves us wide, long, deep, has plans to prosper us & we can be “certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns (Philippians 1:6)”
Stay in His face & accept His grace!
Preaching to myself,
Imani Nailah
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