G=Goals O=Outlook A=Authentic T=Truth (#coateisaGOAT)
Sometimes the hardest part of growing is realizing that not everyone is willing—or able—to grow with you. Family included.
There’s a version of you that some people cling to because it makes them feel better. It’s familiar. Predictable. Comfortable. But that version of you doesn’t exist anymore… and honestly, that’s something to celebrate. Growth means shedding habits, patterns, and mindsets that no longer serve the person God is shaping you into.
But every year, the holidays roll around, and somehow, the nostalgia hits different. Old memories pull at your heart. Traditions, or lack of them, feel heavier. And if you’ve lost someone you love around this season, grief weaves itself into everything—quietly, unexpectedly, and without asking permission.
None of that is easy. And sometimes, because we’re all carrying invisible weights, people end up disappointed in the way others show up or don’t show up at all. Often, by no fault of anyone. Everyone is just doing the best they can with what their hearts hold.
So this holiday season, my hope for you is simple: That you find strength—not in who accepts you or understands you, not in perfect gatherings or perfectly-behaving family—but in the love of a Father who came to this earth as a baby, stepped into our brokenness, and suffered so that we could truly live.
May that love steady you. May it remind you that you’re allowed to grow. And may it bring peace to the places that still ache.
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