MUSIC MONDAY -- Life's "Growing Pains" (When your old life just no longer fits...)

There are TWO videos here -- one above, and one all the way at the bottom. They are the same song, just two different presentations. They're both so good, I had to show them both!

You have a dream. You hold it in your heart, your hands -- you nurture it, take it out now and then and look at it, turn it over in your hands, you can feel it, then you place it back on the shelf to "grow" a bit more until it - and you - are ready....

The next thing you know, almost when you weren't looking, the dream is HERE... It's time...

Now you're scared.

You want it. You've dreamed of this time for years. But the changes it now requires of you are scary. Not bad. Just scary. And a little uncomfortable. And new. And scary....

You don't want to go back to the "old" (or do you?) but the new, the dreamed-of, seems unfamiliar and unknown.

What to do?

Today's song takes its reference from the story of the Israelites being led out of Egypt by Moses -- something they had longed to have happen for generations. Funny thing is, once they were freed from their bondage in Egypt, they did nothing but complain and murmur amongst themselves about their current circumstances as they made their way through the desert on their way to the Promised Land. Before long, in their minds, Egypt sounded pretty good again and all they could talk about was how at least there they had better food and a form of "security" (even though they had actually been horribly treated and even killed). Oh how we paint pictures of our past or our current "comfortable" state to make it seem much better than it really was/is.

Anything to avoid the uncomfortable, the unfamiliar, the hard....

Truth is, we're probably going to murmur and complain no matter where we are in life. That's not great. But that's us as humans a lot of the time.

Do you have a situation in your life now that you know in your heart isn't where you should be or want to be? But to go through the growth process of changing out of it seems just way more pain and trouble than you can stand??

Don't look back. "Back" is Egypt -- the desert land. You've been (finally) brought out of Egypt into the dream (the Promised Land) and although it will take some new getting-used-to, this is it - -this is finally the dream, and the land IS flowing with milk & honey. Its just all new.

Remember that old pair of jeans you had that got broken in perfectly? You hated to have to discard them, but they no longer fit or no longer were wearable. New ones will be broken in, too. It just takes time. Just like the new circumstances you find yourself in.

Can you think of a relationship that you've "outgrown" -- it was comfortable and safe. But one day you open your eyes and realize you've grown -- a lot -- but they haven't. You try to "fit" but you just don't anymore. Or your old life and ways just don't fit, can't contain all you now realize you know and have learned.

Sometimes life allows "doors" to be closed off behind us without us even knowing it. When we want to run back to escape to the "safe", we can't even if we wanted to. So we must go forward. And after the pinching and pain of the transition, we see that we would never, ever go back.

Even if we could.

You have to change. You know you can't stay where you are -- its too cramped and doesn't fit. But to move forward also feels awkward and not a "good fit". Yet.

This song is for you. For those who can't deny the undeniable any longer. You know a change is eminent. A change in you. A change in life. Perhaps this change isn't even something you wanted or dreamed of, but its standing before you anyway, requiring you go through it.

You may be being moved out of your comfort zone now for reasons you'll only know way, way down the road. Maybe never. But if you're alive, you really should be growing, shouldn't you? And sometimes growing is painful.

The old, deadwood must be lopped off to make way for new, stronger branches that will one day bloom or bear beautiful fruit. The pruning is painful. But the result is worth it.

Leaving your "Egypt" may be painful, but if you think about it, it isn't "right" for you anymore anyway, so onward you go. Your "Promised Land" is there before you...can you see it?

The journey, no matter how hard, will be worth it. Its what you always dreamed of and wanted, and though its approach may be somewhat scary and uncertain, you'll grow "into" it and before you know it, what seems too big for you now will be too small and you'll be being moved forward again -- it's called life and growing and building character. And the opposite of these is simply called being stagnant.

I love this saying and refer to it often in my own life: God is more interested in our character, than our comfort.... Sometimes character-building is painful, but never a waste. Who of us, given the chance, would really go back to who we were (knowledge & character-wise) years ago? We all know people who never do seem to change, or grow, or have their character tested/strengthened. They are not people of true depth.

You're a beautiful sculpture whose extraneous parts are being carefully chipped away. The end result will be uniquely you -- and beautiful.

I found two versions of this song and since I couldn't decide which I like better, well -- why not? I'm posting both. Which do you like better?

I hope this encourages you. I hope that this song and these words touch even one woman out there who needs that "atta-girl" push to go forward and not be afraid of the temporary hard work that is before you. Just remember, the birthing process is not meant to be easy and pain-free -- but oh the rewards...

From one out-of -her-comfort-zone gal to another, enjoy...

Ruth