Proof of Growth

From a distance, this house looks like a decent older home with lots of character.  However, if you look closer you can see the damage from the years of neglect and the presence of some insane spider webs.  Life seems a lot like that to me.  Someone can look all put together on the outside, but once you look closer, the damage from day-to-day life, and a failure to daily come to God to be built back up is obvious.
I was rereading the blog posts that have survived and not been erased for one reason or another, starting from right after this new blog was started.  At the beginning, it was obvious that I had gotten "burned" from openly sharing in my last blog, and I didn't share anything other than what craft project I was working on.  Then as God used the passage of time, and His Words to bring continual healing to my life, my blog became more real and open and see-through again.  And I can see the growth He has been doing in me just by rereading my blog posts.
Growing is extremely important to me.  I have spent too much time in my past, stuck in my junk.  I long to grow and become more like God.  To let Him into every "room" of my life...free to renovate, demolish, and build back up.  I don't want to live stuck.  I want to grow more and more and more into the crazy God-sized, God-given potential that He put in me before I was even born.  So, I absolutely love that looking back over blog posts or facebook entries shows visible proof that I am growing in Him.
I am no where close to perfection.  I mess up every single day.  I give God stuff, only to take it back and have to start all over.  But in letting Him have all the control, which I am actually getting better at, I have found such freedom and joy for life.  I am living a life where He can and is using me...and nothing beats that feeling!
From the outside, I may not be all that great to look at, but from the inside, the remodeling that He is in the process of doing is a sight to behold!
I am so thankful that He never gives up on me!