Growth

I've decided that growth is painful.

We all want to grow. Especially when we are little we want to "grow up". We want to grow our business, our ministry, our family, some of us grow a garden. Jesus grew in wisdom and stature...

Any area that we WANT to grow in, we must put forth some (LOTS) of effort to grow in that area. If we want to grow a garden, we must till the soil, plant the seeds, weed it, water, fertilize, and then harvest. Why do we glamorize growing? It is WORK!

That is unless it is a crop we don't want... the weeds don't need all that work to produce a crop. Think about the bad things in our life. They started someplace. They have a beginning. They took off and choked out other things. They just keep on growing and growing and producing more and more "fruit". Some things we need to really think about and find the beginning and get to the root and stop the growth. (like debt, addictions, abuse, bitterness) That is work...

I am growing in weight! that is painful. I know that the root is over eating... or eating the wrong things at the wrong time for the wrong reason.

I want to grow spiritually. I know that if I don't put forth effort to read my Bible and pray everyday, then I will have negative growth there. But, if I do read my Bible and pray I will grow in wisdom and grace and whatever area I'm studying.

If I exercise then I will grow muscle and strength.

If I work hard and save, I will grow a nice retirement.

If I do good, I will have good. If I do bad, I will have bad.

If I grow something good, I must work and toil and it is painful, but the results are wonderful.

If I grow something bad (and we ALL have these things in our life). We may not have had to work so hard getting those things in our life, but we will have to work EXTRA hard to get them out of our life.... like getting rid of the weight I put on so easily, will be hard work, discipline, diligence getting it off ... probably some doing without and some sweat!

I was just thinking that I want to grow, and thinking about what I am presently growing and realizing that I need Jesus to help me discern my actions... what crops am I feeding? what crops am I starving? What crops do I need to weed out?

In order to be well pleasing and produce the fruit I was created to produce, I need to do some pruning so that the important things in my life will be fed, watered, and grow!