Figuring out who we are and growing into adulthood is not easy. The process is often fraught with trial and error, sometimes moving forward and at other times sliding backward, sometimes being wise and at other times being impulsive and foolish. We can even get stuck and refuse to grow or change our ways. Despite sometimes vigilant reflection and decision-making, as we grow and change we often do not see and do what God would have us do.
Yet God is faithful. God’s unfailing love for us is affirmed over and over in scripture and is true whether we believe it or not. Faith in God helps us establish a healthy identity consisting of trust in self, honest reflection and a flexible spirit with grounded values.
This message is adapted from Living from the Heart of God: A journal for life’s stages, published by Women of the ELCA in 2007.