That phrase is so cliche, right? But it doesn’t change the fact that it often hurts to grow physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
It’s good to grow (unless it’s in my hips, ha ha!). But new growth is healthy, it’s maturing, it usually leads to a better us, it should anyway. How are you growing presently? My present growing happens to be mostly in my spirit–meaning as a follower of Christ; and in having to learn a new language (more on the language in a bit). Oh, to have a young mind again! For all you 55+ers, like me, did we take our youth for granted or what!
In relation to spiritual growth…I am convinced that we cannot grow in Christ in great depth without hardship. The Spirit is doing a daily work in us to be sure, but that deep transforming work comes by walking through difficulties. Look at the well-known Christians like Corrie ten Boom, Elizabeth Elliot, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the original 12 disciples of Christ, well, minus the one who betrayed Him. Such depth and wisdom and faith, even in the face of extreme hardship and death! I, on the other hand, have had a pretty cushy life, thank you Lord! I’m certainly not wishing to suffer. But the flip side of that is it’s taken me 50 years to grow as much as I have, which isn’t all that impressive. I am not saying that the absence of major trials is an excuse for stagnant Christianity, not at all. I just wonder sometimes if I had lived my faith in a place of persecution, would my need for and reliance on Christ be more intense? I mean, the Lord does an amazing transformation in the life of a believer in any situation, but I look back now and think, what great things have I accomplished in Jesus’ name and for His Kingdom?? I’m sad about the years that could have been used so much better. Let me say AGAIN, God, in His endless mercy and patience, has used me for His purposes, I know. But, had I truly surrendered ALL of me, had I known then what I know now about REALLY denying myself, taking up my cross, and following Him, my ministry would have been so much more! Had I gone through some trial where I found myself cornered and only able to choose Christ or deny Him, I suspect my spiritual vision would have been clearer earlier on in my walk with Him. Don’t get me wrong, I have no intention of giving myself 40 lashes, or of walking around on my knees until they bleed just to say I suffered. And I don’t believe in wallowing in regrets or guilt for poor choices. But I do believe in asking forgiveness and in learning from mistakes, absolutely. And we can thank God that He can salvage anything and anyone! I thank Him daily, by the way, for such a good, good life.
I still haven’t gotten to what I’m learning spiritually have I? To summarize and condense, some key things God has and is teaching me are–humility; more Christ-like love and compassion paired with His truth; how to be a better servant to the Body; how to exercise faith, not just say it; what is true surrender to Christ and denial of self; and the difference between saying I follow Christ and actually living it because He’s indwelling me almost on a cellular level–like I couldn’t not think about Him constantly, love Him more than anything, or share Him with everyone I meet! The Lord has to take me to the end of myself in order for me to learn these things–but for the Believer, that is the best and safest place to be! The “pain” is in the humility. Following Christ starts there.
Now, to address my second area of growth, which is learning a new language. Let me explain. My youngest grandson has profound hearing loss, which means he cannot hear much of anything, if anything at all. He’s precious! But this is all ground zero for my hearing daughter and her husband, and all of us who will be around them often. My daughter had a virus while David was in utero and that’s what caused the deafness. We praise God because it could have been so much worse, although he’s only 8 months old and more affects could manifest, but the Lord has him. Anyway, if he is not a candidate for cochlear implants, he may only be able to use ASL as his language. So, we are all trying to learn it. It is a beautiful language–full face and body as well as hands! But, oh my goodness, it’s going to take a lot of practice and work to get it down. Which means intentional time, some uncomfortable sessions in front of others with the deaf tutor, correction, and constant repetition to help with retention. That’s where the 55+ thing comes in. I was never good at retaining, but that has gotten worse with age. Basically, this boils down to a lot of good, old-fashioned work, dedication, time, and the humble attitude to try and fail as often as it takes (there’s that element of humility again). Is the struggle worth it? Of course! It is a growing with great benefits, benefits that far outweigh the temporary pain or suffering! The better me will have a deeper relationship with my grandson, a sense of accomplishment for me, a plus on my resume, and an open door to be a part of a whole new community! It’s the same with the spiritual growth. The benefits there are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control. Who doesn’t want those things??
Here’s another cliche to wrap this up — no pain, no gain. May we all learn to lean into the growth, may we be able to get through the pain, knowing that in the end there awaits something so much better! Please feel free share how you’re growing in the comments below.
L&Hs!