A LIFELONG PROCESS

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” – Philippians 1:5-6

I’ve currently been learning about family dynamics, boundaries, and how to be a healthier version of me around my immediate family within my boundaries and in a way that still shows love. This is and continues to be an extremely painful and unpleasant experience. There is no easy way to go about this. These lessons can’t be learned overnight, nor can the relationships that make it so hard to be a part of be changed at all or entirely in one lifetime.

However, I do - somewhere inside me - believe that God has started a ‘good work’ in me and will continue that process throughout my life – if I chose to accept my responsibility in this process and continue to be willing to examine myself within the relationships and communities I am a part of. I do think it’s imperative that one understands that this is not an easy or comfortable endeavor. In complete honesty, one is signing up for a world of difficulty, yet this difficulty shows one they are truly alive (at least in my opinion)!

Hope does come with the understanding that this is a lifelong process and I will never be 1) complete and done, and 2) fixed or cured.

I think –obviously because it’s me writing this- that this scripture is not necessarily communicating that God is working mysteriously in the background of my life in a way that advances my mental, emotional, or spiritual growth; I do believe we, as contributors in the circumstances, are responsible to step into this struggle and own ourselves enough to allow that process to continue throughout our life, as Paul claims through these words.

This means that we must humble ourselves in a way that lowers the barricades we’ve constructed in front of our real selves.

Stand united in community, surrounded by those who truly love you, learning about yourself and God, knowing things get worse before they get better.

Good luck to me and to you.

Amen.