Gradually Loosing the Chains

Life is progressive. Transformation is gradual.

 Earlier last week, I met with few sisters in our fellowship. A  (really) mini - hangout with the crossovers and first years that were in the same hostel with me. 

At first when it came to me, I didn't really think much to it. I had no idea on what the activity/ies within the meeting should be, all I had was just a gathering of these sisters where I'd have to share food. As the Monday  drew near, I was beginning to doubt the possibility of sharing food as I didn't have much with me. 

Shouldn't I leave this? What's it for anyway?

I still held my hope strongly down till Monday evening when the flint started getting dim. I called my sister and on tuesday, God funded his idea. I told just a few of the sisters that I met and they honoured the invitation. We started off with opening prayer and shared our journey getting into school and how it's been going. It was delightful to listen to each of us share their stories. There were flashbacks and it became more intense when I asked the second question.

Till the point when the meeting started, I held or felt nothing as regards the word God would want to share with us. There were no verses or topic...just something that sounded like struggles. I felt God just wanted us to come together, share our struggles and offer help where it's needed. And that was what we just did. God provided an atmosphere where it's safe to be vulnerable. The second question was "How has your journey with God been and the struggles (past or present) that we have along the way?" 

There was this peace in the atmosphere as they shared how they came to know God beyond having God and Christianity as a religion they were born into. All of them agreed to come from a Christian family and some were minister's daughter, yet their personal walk with God started with an event, a friend, totally different from their family. It's as if they were called out into a fellowship with Abba. And that's same with all of us, right? Called out seperately into the kingdom of Abba.

We shared the things we've been able to shed (friends, habit..) and things we KNOW have to leave for us to have a more intimate relationship with God. We ate popcorn (and groundnut!) while at it and at the end shared prayer points on what we need to get better at and prayed. It was amazing!

I remember telling Joy how happy I felt about the whole thing. I'm happy I did what God laid in my heart and even more fulfilled to see the impact it had on my sisters, on us. We gradually shed a  lot of things to enable us to have a more fulfilling fellowship and intimacy with the Father BUT it's a process. And God is intentional about having a track record of growth not just for us to value what we have but to help those after us. Sharing some of the things that God has helped me with (and let go too) and seeing how that speaks to the situation of anither revealed how much our experiences matter to God and others too.

So, if you've anything you're currently going through or struggling with, know that it will soon be a story that you will use to dig someone else up a pit. Stay through and don't give up on your desire to be free, trust God this will be soon be an experience. A past. A good one at that.

Dear Lord, Thank you for everything that happened in this gathering. Thanks for being so patient with our inconsistency and loving us through it all. Help with my current struggle. Help me to draw more closer to you.  Keep shedding anything in me that doesn't look like you.  keep transforming me till I look like you. Don't stop your work in me till people cant differentiate between me and Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Amen!