Growing Pains

Do you remember the show, Growing Pains? I enjoyed watching the reruns when I was growing up in my journey towards adulthood. Back then, growing pains were these terrible muscle cramps I would get in my legs at night. My mom called them Charlie Horses and I thought that Charlie the Horse was destroying my leg and kicking it into oblivion. Every time the pain ended though, to my amazement, my legs were still attached to my body - completely unharmed.

Lately, I am realizing that, aside from Charlie Horses and leg cramps, a different breed of growing pains exists. These growing pains are the kind that stretch your heart and twist your soul at times. God, in all His wisdom and love, gave us growing pains so that we can recognize His hand at work when He is changing us. From the inside out, He is reshaping my heart and my mind, my motives and my desires. Frequently, this process involves breaking, crunching, tearing, and uncertainty but they are always followed by healing, mending, reconciling, and reminders of His sovereignty and goodness. He is remaking me into His image that I might bring Him more praise and show the world how beautiful He is in truth.  Whether these pains result from the loss of a family member, the sting of sin disclosed, or a sacred trust broken, know that God is ultimately working all things for His for His good purposes. Although it hurts at times, His faithfulness sustains us and the prayers and encouragement of the saints of Jesus Christ embrace us with His love.

Last week, Blake and I went to a Steven Curtis Chapman concert after receiving free tickets through the generosity of a friend of the church. The concert was intended to raise money for the Chapman organization Show Hope which was founded to aid in adoption processes. The Chapman sons kicked off the concert with their band, Caleb, whose contemporary sound and honest lyrics brought the crowd into Stephen Curtis Chapman's set perfectly. During the show, Stephen and his wife, Mary Beth, opened their hearts as they shared what God has been teaching them since the tragic death of their 5 year old daughter, Maria Sue, in 2008.

The Chapman family painted a brilliant picture of the hope that we wait and live for in Christ. Their stories centered around heartbreak and hope and the work that God is so graciously performing in their lives and through those lives as they seek to glorify Him through their pain. The Chapman family has been experiencing the growing pains of the Christian life. Through a tragic loss, they have drawn nearer to God than they could have anticipated or imagined. As a result lives are being changed radically around the world through Show Hope and Maria's Big House of Hope, not to mention the many concerts they are performing. Mary Beth has written a book, which I am now crying and laughing through - Choosing to See - a story of her life and God's patient and kind hand on it. So pick up her book, go to a show or buy a CD and support the Chapman family as they show the world what growing pains are all about - the Glory of God!