Growth
As a man, I know the struggle all too well to resist change. Even though I have learned over the years that growth is healthy. When I think back on my life, some of my worst years were when I was stagnant and didn’t grow. When I turn to God’s Word, I see it also tells us to grow up spiritually.
1 Peter 2:1–3 “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
Hebrews 5:13–14 “for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”
With that said, the immediate thought is “where do I start?” I’ll share with you how I tackled it this month and hope it encourages you to do likewise. I have found that asking questions is one of the best ways to grow. So, I applied that to three of my closest relationships and asked them what I need to grow in.
I asked my wife:
What is one thing I can grow in or work on to be a better husband? Also, what do you need most from me right now as your partner in life?
I asked my daughter:
What is one thing I can grow in or work on to be a better father? Also, what do you need most from me right now as your dad?
I asked the Lord:
(In prayer and in reading His Word). What area of my life needs correction to be more obedient to you? In what way can I focus on being more like you?
God has taught me in recent years to not only focus on what not to do but also to include what to do. So, when I look to His Word to grow in my struggles, I also study the other side of the “coin”. For example, if I am struggling with fear, I will look to see what He says on that, but I will also look to see what He says on faith.
My challenge for you today is to ask some growth questions of the Lord and your closest relationships.