She is insanely beautiful, committed to her walk with God and very successful in the work environment. She never lets me forget that the most important thing about life is walking with God and building for His Kingdom. Every time she achieves something and I congratulate her, she turns my eyes back to the grace, goodness and mercy of God that made her accomplishments possible. That is my Mama…nothing biological but all destiny tied up in here.

A few years ago I was stuck and she never minces words with me on how I need to stay the course and keep the faith as I focus on becoming the picture of God’s dream, oh, and if I didn’t have a picture to hold onto, then I need to go back to that starting point. I always wondered why she was so hard on me and seemingly softer on others because she always spoke straight to me and pushed me on. Now when I look at most of my other mentors, there was a similar pattern of stern, strong support.

What do they see that I don’t?

Recently in a conversation with Mama and a sister, Mama described me in a way that shocked me. I couldn’t believe I was the one she was talking about with such confidence. I couldn’t understand what she was saying for a while until God Himself broke it down. I was astounded after that because He had drawn straight lines from my process to her words and I could see the co-relation.

You see, I had been struggling in my walk and every time I spoke with Mama I felt like I was whining and chasing my tail. I felt like I should be better than this and stronger than this but I wasn’t and so  I needed to be honest with her; I couldn’t afford to hide the struggle. She had moved into a new a busier work position and we didn’t talk as much for a long time so how could she be saying all these things about me?

How did she know where I was and what my life represented? How did she see past the hardship and know to celebrate the growth. Simple…God!!! In the entire struggle, she could see things I couldn’t, she could hear from God things I couldn’t and so she relentlessly pushed me to grow and now she was celebrating the growth…WOW!!

I really needed to see clearly.

Several times this year I have been called out and described in terms I would never have given myself. It sounded a lot like fiction because of the struggle I have been in. It seemed improbable that it was about me but the people either called me by name or they were looking straight at me. When I asked some why they called me that, they said because they can.

It wasn’t untrue that I had grown, I just couldn’t see it because I was so deeply focused on working out the change needed to become the fullness and I was so engrossed in the battle that I couldn’t see many of the wins. I was still not everything I needed to be for the fullness of fully God to rest and abide so I was working and walking, giving and strengthening as He gave me the capability, watching and waiting, that I was slightly unaware to the depth of the shifts going on in me.

Indeed God is always at work in us if we allow Him.

It hasn’t been the smoothest journey and yes I have fallen flat on my face once or twice but God has been faithfully walking with me. I have people like Mama who will not rest until the picture God has given them is attained even if it means being ‘hard’ on me.

I have come to understand that my life is a function of what I see because as I see, I can hold fast to the Word and become. Jeremiah was first corrected about how he saw himself (Jer 1:6-10) then he was challenged to see a right before he was commissioned (Jer 1:11-14) for assignment.

Have you been like me? Have you been so lost in the battle that you have lost sight of who you are becoming? That is ok, keep walking and ask God to show you the progress and raise His servants to show you where you are.

Be careful not to start the New Season with blinders on or without clarity of the purpose of the season. Let’s not get caught up in the hype of the New Year while not grounded in a clear word from God that will be our anchor.

In the coming days, only those who know who they are and why they are here will THRIVE and BECOME.