Public Before Polished

Yes, I know it's been awhile and no, it wasn't intentional 🫠. The truth is, it's a year and a half later, and I'm still learning a lot along the way. Walking with God wholeheartedly really is a marathon. It's a true transition from who I used to be, to who God is calling me to be. While I don't believe we ever stop evolving in Christ, I do feel like I'm transitioning. In this stage, I'm letting go of old things and am really trying to learn balance. I really don't think enough people talk about this stage enough. It's kind of a "Ok, now what?" period of time. Okay God, I let go of a lot of things, but now what?

In this transitional stage, I can understand how it's easy to backslide. We hear how amazing God is and many speak on salvation, but committing our lives to Christ is just the first step. Everything isn't always peaches and cream after that. Life around me didn't just change because I did. It's an adjustment and it's ok to know that. Yeah, people say how you may lose friends, but what if God isn't telling you to walk away from certain people? Yes, God may give you an assignment, but what if it doesn't go the way you thought and you think you've failed? Yes, God may be telling you to do something, but what do you do when your plate is already full? These are some of the things I've been going through during my transition. I literally feel like "Ok God, You said to do this, but....?" along the way. The "but..." is where I have allowed space to psych myself out. It's ok to ask God questions, however something we have to realize is we're never going to know all of the answers and understand everything and that's just the reality of it. Partnering with God doesn't mean we get the full game plan and that's where our faith comes in.

During this transitional period, it's easy to get caught up in other things. For example, having a lot of things to do or feeling like you've already "done enough." Let me explain. Being busy doesn't mean we put God in where He fits in, it means figure out the balance. Now this can apply to any stage of our life, but specifically in this one, I can recognize the absence of God. Before, if I didn't read my Bible or pray as often as I should've, it was like a "Dang, I need to do better." Now, I feel like I'm missing something and I'm hungry for it. It's no longer "I should" it's "I need!" I'm learning that this option is a necessity so whatever I gotta do to keep my candle burning and the Holy Spirit fueled, is a priority.

If you feel like you've "done enough" then this next point is for you. You ever get to a point where you're like "Okay, anything else!?" to God, on some "Ok now you asking for too much" type of attitude? 🙃 Where God has already asked you to do hard things and He's asking you to do another hard thing and then another? 🙃🙃🙃

Here are some gems that have helped me with that:

1. Although somethings may seem hard to us, it's easy to make them harder when we complain, whine, and don't trust God. If God has told us to do something, He's going to help us do it. He has anointed us, granted us grace, resources, etc. to get the task done. It's not as impossible as it seems. Now it may still be hard, but it's not impossible. Realizing I have His help has made things less stressful and anxious.

2. God will never stop asking us to do "hard" things. Just because we complete one thing that is challenging doesn't mean that will be the only challenging thing. This is why our relationship with God is so vital. Our trust, belief, obedience and more helps us press into Him so that even when we're uncomfortable, we're able to stand firm in Him.

3. God builds our capacity. The more we press in, the more God stretches us. What once seemed so hard to do before, will be easy because our capacity is larger. God doesn't tell us to do things prematurely. He prepares us along the way. This is why we have to understand everything is for a reason even when we don't understand. It's necessary for things to be broken off of us. It's necessary to go through trials and tribulations. It's necessary to do things that logically don't make sense to us. We're not God, so we may only have A to B instead of A to Z.

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Public before Polished simply means you're witnessing a developing product before it is complete. I'm sharing the unpretty things along the way that will one day make more sense. I'm not really sure what God is doing with me, but I feel like I'm being groomed. Of course there are things I still need to work on, like cussing. Yeah, I stopped a lot of things, but whew this mouth. Do people know this about me? Sure. Does it mean I stop trying to work on it and do better? No. We're too easily distracted by what others have to say about us and we spend too much time dwelling on things we're not proud of. I say this as encouragement to you to know that Rome wasn't built in a day. There are parts of you that are unpolished, broken, missing, and may even be dirty, but don't let that stop you from walking with God. Don't let people shame you of your past or convince you that you're unworthy. Every day is a new day, every minute is new. You have the opportunity to change things no matter what you used to do. Walking with God is not a race or a sprint. Stay encouraged in God through any pure way that you can..

PURE = NO WITCHCRAFT! One thing I didn't mention above is what I'm doing during this transitional period. It's like I know God has waaaay more for me, but it's not time yet. Instead of complaining, I'm trying my best to remain obedient even when I don't understand. I'm continuing to worship, pray for others, pray for myself, and just overall do better. I'll make a more in depth post about this later so make sure you subscribe to know when, if you haven't subscribed yet 😊

One thing God placed on my heart when I first started KGITP was remaining as transparent as possible. This has never been a problem for me, however I've always been a private person so I shared what and how I wanted to share it. The adjustment of sharing things I normally would keep private has been a true WOW factor for me because I am sharing things along the way instead of later on or not at all. I'm still learning when and how much to share so sometimes I just shut up 😂. I'm going to do better though. When I first started this, I remember telling someone "I want people to see me before I am polished. I feel like God is telling me people need to see the transparency and the journey as it is happening, not after it has already happened."Now when I originally said this, I really didn't know everything I'd be sharing. I also had this crazy thought that life would slow down around me so that I can be more present, but hell no that's not what happened 😩 One of the biggest struggles I've faced so far is that walking with God doesn't mean life slows down. I actually feel like I'm running faster than before... BUT I'm not doing it blindly. I truly feel like God is holding my hand. That's why I have to remind myself this transitional stage isn't a waste of time or a punishment. God is with me. I'm reminded by the peace, mercy, and grace I have received and have extended to others. Even though there are things I still need to work on, there is growth happening little by little. Believe that He is doing the same for you as well ♥️