Introduction
- glorygrown
- Jan 1
- 6 min read
Hello! My name is Brianna "Brie" Miller, and I began Glory Grown about a year ago. I must admit, I began this site too quickly. I had high hopes that were quickly flooded by pride, selfishness, and self-righteousness, which eventually became doubt and shame. Over a year has gone by since I started posting on this site and the Instagram page, and boy, things have changed! This last year I have been able to see the glory of God in so many ways. I have been so fortunate and blessed to travel the country, meet new people, and live out amazing experiences that have shown me the sweetness of the Lord. Simultaneously, I have had many lows this past year. I have felt alone, confused, unworthy, and unloved. I have strayed far from God and have deeply questioned His existence. Yet, like clockwork, as soon as I recognize my distance from Him, He finds a way to pull me even closer.
The past couple of months, I have taken the opportunity to reevaluate my priorities and relationship with Christ. In this time, not only has He shown me great favor and love, but He has also given me the courage to go back to this site and continue the project that I started. So with that, welcome to Glory Grown!
Now a little about me
My name is Brianna, but most people call me Brie. That is Brianna like a banana and Brie like the cheese. While I went to church as a child, my faith was never strong nor, for the sake of vulnerability, even real. With the exception of prayers asking to do well on an upcoming exam or help for a hardship to be resolved, I never sought the Lord. My family stopped attending church services when we moved to beautiful Park City in 2013. Although I always admired the Christian faith and would jokingly considered Christ as my Lord and Savior, I never actually understood any part of Christianity.
Without a god in my cringe-worthy teenage years, I felt lost and unloved. I put my identity in what I did and what I wanted to be. This identity mainly comprised of beach volleyball, which I started to take seriously at age 12. By my senior year of high school, I committed to play beach volleyball at a small Christian university in Southern California. The school seemed perfect to me, and while I never actually stepped on campus (thanks Covid), I can attribute this school to the start of my pursuit of Christ. Each class had elements of the faith, however a couple of classes really stood out to me. The research and writing class focused on the writings of C.S. Lewis. It was in this class that I produced my paper on the problem of evil which was later nominated into the Presidential Academic Showcase. (I do plan on publishing that paper at a later time because it was such an important step in my faith.) The secondary class that was crucial in my Christian walk was the theology class in which I learned more about the historical background of Jesus and the basic doctrine of the faith.
My attendance at that school only lasted a year as I then committed to a different school for beach volleyball. However, I am forever grateful for my freshman year because it is what I consider to be the official beginning of my walk with Jesus. This walk was slow and gradual, but as I de-committed from the Christian school (and later de-committed from the second school) I began to see how God's plan for my life would unravel. It was hard for me to come to terms with the fact that I gave up the opportunity to play my favorite sport two times. Looking back now, I knew that I never actually wanted to attend college, but I had a difficult time trying to justify my decisions to those close to me. Even more, I had a difficult time trying to justify my decisions to myself. Yet through it all, I felt this tug to not take those chances, and instead I did something that felt both safe and risky.
For example, a month before move-in day at the second college, I decided to move to Florida with my parents instead. "You can as long as you have an education plan, a financial plan, and a volleyball plan," my mom bargained. "Because I don't want you giving that up." A weight was lifted off my shoulders, and within a month I was living in Orlando.
Three years have passed, and at times I am disappointed. I am still attending college (University of Florida's online bachelors program in Public Relations). I am still living with my parents. And I am still questioning what I want to do with my life, where I want to be in a year, who I want to be, etc. But the glorious part is that in these three years of suspension and confusion, I have seen an immense personal change.
Now I travel often to either watch professional beach volleyball tournaments, ski down a mountain in a banana inflatable suit, or learn how to surf in Hawaii. Every other weekend I visit my friends who live two hours away on the Gulf Coast to play beach volleyball. I have a love-hate relationship with strength training, running, pickleball, and golf. I occasionally devise a way to keep my sister's cat at my house when they both visit from college, however it somehow always fails. After 21 years, I discovered I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while on a grueling Colorado hike. I not only worked with kids these last three years, but I also get to continue making connections with them as I serve in my church's kids ministry. And my music taste has significantly improved (even though it was already really good to begin with) as Forrest Frank, Bay Ledges, Sam Hunt, and the entire O.C. soundtrack are on repeat.
Additionally, I have seen how God has completely transformed me. I no longer place my identity in volleyball, school, or anything else that I do. I no longer have a fear of being disliked, excluded, or unloved. I no longer seek out things of this world to give me fulfillment and a purpose. I no longer am unconfident, doubtful, or anxious.
Or at least, I try to no longer carry these traits.
A major flaw that I feel I often express is this self-righteous, self-idolization, picture-perfect idea as to who God is and who I am in Him. That flaw is one of the reasons I discontiuned Glory Grown so quickly after its conception. Most of the time it feels as though I am so far from God and that is something that is so hard to publicize. I compare my walks to others and question why I can't have the faith they have. I often find myself questioning who He is and what He is doing. But, if there is one thing I know, it is that as I document the happenings in my life, I begin to see the workings of God.
I have always loved writing and have felt rather proficient in the skill. My computer, phone, and numerous notebooks are flooded with writings, mostly about Jesus. While studying Deuteronomy, I learned that one of the best ways to draw near to God is to remember what He has done in your life. By journaling in various mediums, recollecting His goodness becomes easy and accessible.
My goal is to have Glory Grown be that collection of memories proclaiming what the Lord has done in my life, what He is teaching me, and how He is moving. Utlimately, I want this to be a place in which I can set aside my glory and instead shine a light on His. He is deserving of all the praise and He is worthy of all the glory. This world is not for me, similarly this platform is not for me. Instead, it is to glorify the Lord and encourage others to do the same.
So welcome to Glory Grown! Join me in growing for His glory!
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me -- the task of testifying the good news of God's grace." ~Acts 20:24
"Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You." ~John 17:1
"For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods." ~Psalm 96:4
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