{Be Encouraged} Growing Up
by Kristina Hurd
The older I get the more I realize I really have no idea what it actually means to “grow up”! I am about to have another birthday in a couple of days and as I think about getting older I really don’t FEEL like I’m any older. My dad is always known to say “I’m just one day older than I was yesterday” on his birthdays and I must say that I agree with him…a birthday is just another day. The thing that makes birthdays special is the idea of celebrating the life you have lived and the new season that you are entering into.
I have been very blessed to grow up in a close Christian family and I consider my family to be my best friends. My older brothers and I are all very close in age and were homeschooled so we spent a lot of time together growing up. I remember countless mornings laying in bed listening to my oldest brother tell us stories and in these stories we were always “old, cool and mature”. By “old” I mean that we were all between the ages of 17-20…all three of us have now passed those ages!
I was thinking about all of this the other day and it made me wonder what 8 year old Kristina would have thought about how 22 year old Kristina turned out. My life definitely isn’t as glamorous or “put together” as I am sure I would have planned for myself, but I honestly can’t say I would have had it any different. There were really good times and there were really bad times, times I can look back on and be proud of and times that I made mistakes and hurt other people – overall there are countless times that I can see God’s hand working in my life and guiding me to where I am today. The Kristina of today still as so much to learn about the Lord, his creation and his plan for my life, but I am excited to continue on this journey with the Lord in however many years He has left for me!
What do you think an 8 year old version of yourself would say about you today? What do you want to be able to say about yourself in 22 years? It is my prayer that you will continue to grow up into the person that God created you to be and that he will give you strength in the journey.
P.S. aren’t we the cutest little munchkins ever? I love this picture of my brothers and I!
