5 minute friday on growing…
lately i’ve been thinking about thick skin and soft hearts. and when i asked how you develop thick skin here’s the response i got back: just like a callous…by being rubbed the wrong way a lot…there’s no easy way.
that’s the thing about growing. shortcuts don’t work. you’ve to go through the process. the hard work has to be put in and the waiting. a crop doesn’t show up overnight. the rains, winds, sun all come day after day.
often it’s not fun. it hurts. yet there’s an end result that’s beautiful.
in this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. these have come so that your faith–of greater worth than gold which perishes even though refined by fire–may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. though you have not seen him, you love him. and though you do not see him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. 1 Peter 1:6-8
i read that over and over on my run yesterday. because while it clearly says that you will suffer grief and we all know that grief unfortunately isn’t a clean cut linear process…the faith that will be refined and that is growing…is worth it. even though in the process you may have to be rubbed in the wrong way a lot. so rejoice. trust. love. keep on keeping on.
b'ahava 
I really appreciated this today. I’m learning–finally–about there being no short-cuts in life lately, and it’s good to be reminder that the rewards of patience and perserverence will always be worth it in the end.
thankfully god sees it all! =)
“shortcuts don’t work..” so very true, though i have to admit–i wish they did! here’s to keep on keeping on!
ha! i agree =)
Nice writing!
=)
“Thick skin and soft hearts” and callouses. After having built callouses for playing guitar, I know how painful the process can be. I was thinking that having callouses in life was not such a great thing but I’m thinking that it is okay but to keep my heart soft and be able to feel things deeply still.
no, i know what you mean and i’ve thought about it before…but i think it’s more of a callous in terms of a firm foundation…like not letting the wind or the rain or the things that hurt change the foundation on the rock. maybe? i don’t know for sure.
I am seeking this type of joy, where I finally learn how to rejoice in hardship. It hurts, but it is so worth it, to be more Christ like.
rejoice. rejoice. so hard sometimes, but definitely worth it.
What a good reminder — a callous…I have some on my hands from the type of water that I love to drink which has a rough cap. But since I like the water so much, I keep drinking it. Sometimes I need help and Arno opens it for me, but mostly I just push through. Now I have these not so pretty callouses, but my hands are a little stronger. Okay…maybe a silly analogy but thanks for the reminder about growth & pain!
ooo…callouses make you stronger. now that’s interesting..