Growing Pains & God’s Purpose: When You’re Called to Outgrow the Familiar

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart.” – Jeremiah 1:5

Let’s talk about growing pains—not just the physical ones, but the soul-level shifts that stretch you, break you, and remake you all at once. The kind that shows up quietly, in the middle of your normal. The kind that tugs at your spirit and won’t let you settle into places you’ve long outgrown.

Lately, I’ve found myself in a season of divine detachment.

Outgrowing people.

Outgrowing habits.

Outgrowing expectations.

And even outgrowing versions of myself I once worked hard to become.

And let me be clear—it hasn’t been easy. Growth has cost me relationships I wanted to last forever. It’s pushed me to confront truths I wasn’t ready to say out loud. It’s isolated me in moments I prayed for community. And still, I’ve learned this one truth:

Obedience doesn’t always come with comfort. But it always comes with purpose.

I’ve never been the type to sweep things under the rug. I’d rather face it, pray through it, cry if I need to, and come out on the other side healed. Whole. Honest.

But being “the one” in the family, in the friend group, in the relationship—the one God called to break the cycles and set new standards—that assignment comes with weight.

I didn’t ask to be the generational curse breaker.

I didn’t ask to be the table shaker.

But God saw fit. And I’ve learned to stop resisting the mantle just because it feels heavy.

Sometimes I wonder, “Why me?”

Why was I the one chosen to carry the burden, hold the mirror, and chart a new course? But every time I ask, God answers the same way:

“Because I trust you with the hard things.”

That’s what He’s been whispering to my spirit.

And honestly, it keeps me going on the days I want to retreat, hide, or go back to what’s comfortable.

What Growing Feels Like (and What It’s Taught Me)

1. It feels like grief.

   
   

   Not all grief is tied to death—some of it is tied to detachment. To letting go of who you thought you’d be, or who others needed you to be.

2. It feels like isolation.

   
   

   But it’s in those silent seasons that God does His loudest work. When no one else is clapping or calling, you get clearer on whose voice really matters.

3. It feels like healing.

   
   

   The kind that strips you, yes—but also restores you. God doesn’t just break; He rebuilds.

4. It feels like freedom.

   
   

   Freedom from patterns, people-pleasing, and prisons that had no doors—just limits I agreed to live within.

   
   

A Word to the One Called to More

If this season feels like you’re shedding everything at once—your circle, your plans, your identity—know that God is not punishing you. He’s preparing you.

You were never meant to stay stuck in “familiar.”

You were meant to grow. To lead. To shift atmospheres.

And yes, even to shake a few tables.

This season may be quiet, but it’s sacred.

Let Him prune you. Let Him position you. Let Him plant you in something new.

You weren’t chosen for comfort. You were chosen for calling.

So walk boldly, even when you’re walking alone.

And remember, you’re never really alone when God goes before you.

Keep the faith, Holy Homegirl. Your yes is shifting generations.

With love and realness,

E Simone

The Holy Homegirl