I was painting my nails recently and I remembered how it wasn't always easy to do when I was much younger, around 6 years old or so. It was so fun to paint my nails at that age. My mom would do it for me though because I wasn't used to holding the little brush and keeping my hand steady, especially with my non-dominant hand. If I did it by myself it wouldn't turn out the way I wanted it to.
Then one day I remembered asking my mom for help painting my nails and she said no. I started laughing because I thought she was joking but she wasn't. I asked her why and she said, "Because you won't learn how to do it by yourself." I knew she was right. It was challenging and I wanted to be good at it right away but it took time.
I can see times in my past and present that my Heavenly Father responds to me in a similar way. I might ask for something to be easy but because He cares about my growth and my heart, He will ask me to do things differently. When God asks me to do things differently, He is asking me to step out in faith and expectancy. I don't always get it right the first time but I finally get to that point where I have gained new ground because of Him and I can stand in faith in places where I once was too weak.
Hebrews 12:5-6 "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as His son."