When a child goes through its life with both caring parents at the child’s side teaching and guiding the child in their own special way, the child arrives at a part of their life mature and confident.
There is some fear of the unknown and the challenges ahead (even if they do try to hide such feelings), but that will not stop someone who has been through the comforting education of parents that care.

9 to 10 years after becoming a Christian I have learned a lot, and fears that I used to have are gone. Also I am not that easily intimidated anymore, and certainly not that easily pushed around. This is a result of following God and finding a lot about myself, and growing as God wanted me to grow.

As a martial artist at one stage I was very confident of physically protecting myself and my children, but that did not give me confidence in life or in myself. God takes us to another level.

A Born Again Christian goes through many trials and lessons, lots of learning that is done God’s way brings us to an understanding about why bad and good things have happened to us and how, as an individual we have grown.

Like a child that grows we too become stronger and more confident after finding Christ. God is not going to leave you stranded, He is going to help you change. God saw the darkness inside of you. All those faults, bad habits and addictions, they are the blackness within. They are the cause of us not seeing the world as we should do. They are the reason that we have weaknesses. They are the reason that we are lost and confused. The darkness must be removed and that takes years of honest repentance and hard work.

An example is that when a person comes to Jesus with a prayer and repentance at that stage they repent of what they know is wrong. But as they learn more abut God and God’s ways they discover other things that they accepted before they found Christ are not acceptable to God and those things need to be removed as well. It takes time to change and no one will change until they understand what is wrong in their spiritual heart, then they remove it. The Potter is working on you daily in every way.

To be forgiven is wonderful, but it takes some time to remove those things that caused us to do wrong in the past. God doesn’t want you and I to repeat the past so we must submit to the Teacher to be re-educated fully.

Those that come to Christ that are prideful stop learning and think that they have “found the way” but they have much to learn and their growth wilts and dies with time unless they realise their mistake. They will only go further with Christ when they throw out their pride.

But those that keep learning with empathy, compassion, love, and charity for all living creatures, have come to a time in their life when they must wake up and realise that what they have learned has given them hope, and strength. The lessons and trials have given them courage, and the experiences and tears have helped them forgive themselves of the past and taught them how to love with empathy, and give with a charitable heart.

If the planted seed has fallen deep in one’s spiritual heart then that person will grow and will not fail themself.

Those that are following God will reach out and will be known by their actions – they will in other words be “living their love for others” and God will reward them for this. God will trust those people. God knows their commitment and humble hearts, because it was He that took them to this new and humble understanding of life, people and the world.

Be faithful always. If you think that you know all the answers then you have my word for it, you don’t. If you are trying humbly and gently with empathy and love for all of God’s creatures and a love for Creation, then you are on your way and still learning. Be ever so thankful that you are still learning with Christ, because that means that He is still with you.

All the best from James M Sandbrook.

2nd of December, 2013.