Change, Renewal and Growth

Things change, it's true. No lies there. It's inevitable, impossible to control. I used to be 1 or 2 years old not caring what really happened to me. I used to be 4 or 5 thinking about what school must be like. I used to be 7 thinking about what baptism really meant for me. I used to be 11 thinking about what new responsibilities I would receive and what Middle School really was. I used to be 13 thinking about even more responsibilities and how High School would feel like. I used to be 15 thinking about even more responsibilities and playing with the thought that I might drive a car. I used to be 17 thinking about College. I used to be 18 thinking about Graduation and a Mission. I used to be 20 thinking about how it would be to return back home. Now I'm 21 and look at what has changed. I have grown, I'm different. I'm not that 4 year old or that 20 year old either. I'm a 21 year old thinking about how to finish my freshman year in college. Soon even that will change.

Many things come and go. I remember when I'd play pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh. I remember when Captain Planet was my favorite hero. I remember when I'd wake up at 5 am just to listen to the song "I'm Blue" by Eiffel 65. I remember when I'd drive around at might with my friends singing our favorite tunes as loud as possible. But things have changed. People have moved on, not necessarily forgotten but realize that the past won't always be present. The past is things that have happened. Things that have been done. We cannot change the past. But just because it is unchangeable doesn't mean that it defines us.

As I mentioned in my last post, I had some cuts and bruises on my body. To be quiet frank, I rubbed my nipples raw while running and they were bleeding. I had several cuts on my chest from running shirtless. I have a lot of cuts around my knees from crawling, climbing and hitting things. I have a couple of cuts on my arms from doing the same thing. These things have happened. There are some reminders that they are there. But this doesn't mean that I'm going to have these things forever. My nipples have healed, the cuts on my chest have lost the scabs and are a light pink skin. I can't find all the cuts and scratches on my legs and arms. They have just gone away. My skin has renewed itself. It is taking the things that are wrong and making them right. Just as those physical scrapes have healed, our spiritual scrapes can heal as well. It takes time and vigilance. Just as a physical wound needs tending, a spiritual wound needs constant awareness.

So remember that we can change. Things can heal both physically and spiritually. We must grow to become like our heavenly father.

Signing Out
Matthew John Barry