Oftentimes we view our personal development goals, or healing, as a fixed destination at which we need to arrive. I would like us to reconsider the same. Instead of having this idealistic version in our minds of this utopian destination at which to arrive, envision your personal development as both iterative and circuitous. What do I mean? Well, iterative involves meaningful repetition where you assess, apply a fix, assess again, refine your approach, and so on. It is really trial and error. Circuitous is almost the same thing; it is taking the indirect, proverbial scenic route on our journey.
Practically speaking this is how we live our daily lives. In some areas, we have linear progress and in others, we take one step forward only to take several steps backward. That is okay. We must be kind to ourselves and remember that each person’s journey is different. As we grow and mature, God will waste none of our experiences whether good or bad. These experiences help to shape us and just as He must go through Samaria, we must go through every cycle of our journey. So often our focus is on arriving. Our focus is on breaking the cycles. And yes! We must break the generational curses and the toxic cycles. However, let us not forget to enjoy as we endure the processing. Let us, at each step or phase or level, take out all the available nuggets. When we feel stuck, let us be forgiving of, and patient with ourselves because God already knew we would be stuck! He is not surprised by the areas where we have to be repeating the same lessons! He is not surprised when we have to take the long route. In fact, He is allowing that to occur, because He knows what must be developed in us for the next stage and for purpose.
Stop treating your personal development as though it is a college assignment with an end-of-semester deadline. You are a person discovering who you are and that will change as you meet different people and have different experiences. The people you encounter and the experiences you garner will help to refine your philosophies and perspectives. Yes, you need to mature and change the world et cetera, but in doing so, take a balanced approach. There is a time to be gentle and a time to be firm. The most important thing is to know God for yourself. This knowledge cannot be perfunctory, it must be experiential. Know His will for your life and pursue it diligently. As you go through every iteration along this circuitous journey, you will find that experiencing oneness with Him is the best part of your personal development. Those intimate moments where He meets you in uncanny super-personal and inexplicable ways will be the fuel you need when it gets tough. Keep pressing on! Your future self is depending on you to keep going.
Gaye-Leon Williams is an Entrepreneur, Blogger, Podcaster, and Lecturer. She is bilingual and loves God and His people. She is active in church and loves to mentor young people. She just launched her own business Cerebral GW
For access to my blog, podcast, and other services please visit my website at www.cerebralgw.com. If you would like to contact me, don’t shy away from sending an email to cerebralgw@gmail.com.