Becoming

"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are."
-- e. e. cummings

I just recently stumbled upon this quote by e. e. cummings, one of my all time favorite poets. Think about it for a moment...

"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are."

Courage. It takes courage to grow up...I never thought about it that way before. "Growing up" has always been something inevitable; something that has to happen, something that I have no control over. But think of it this way -- "It takes courage to grow up..."... e. e. is acknowledging that, yes, growing up is a scary thing! It's uncertain and challenging and confusing and crazy and scary and wonderful and exciting all at once -- and it sure does take a good dose of courage to manage it!

Look at the second part of this quote: "...and become who you REALLY ARE." Well. How many of us teens are still trying to figure out who we "really are"? *raises hand* That's the scariest part of growing up, if you ask me: being thrown into a world of adulthood, and expected to navigate your way around all by yourself. To know what you believe, why you believe it, how to act and how you feel about any given thing. To realize what you want, what you need, what you like and what you don't. To find a purpose for your life, a goal for the future and a way to realize those dreams...sheesh. And in the world we live in today, we are expected to grow up, and to grow up quickly! Anyone else getting exhausted just thinking about it?!? I guess that's where the "courage" part comes in. "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are."... Not who you are now, or who you were in the past, but "who you really are."

Well. I don't know about the rest of you, but do you ever feel like that courage is failing you sometimes? Or that you don't have any courage to begin with? *raises hand again*

Check out Deuteronomy 31:6 :
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

Wow...how's that for reassurance?? As we all go through this scary time of our lives, when we are faced with all kinds of decisions and choices, and as we begin to learn and grow and become "who we really are", isn't it comforting to know that God is always with us? He will grant us the courage we need in those moments of uncertainty and doubt, because He will "never leave nor forsake" us!!