I want to grow – I don’t want to remain as I am. I want to mature, to move forward. It would be somewhat tragic if a year from now, I looked older, but I was not really all that different. How sad it would be to get older, but not actually get older… not actually mature… not actually move forward.
I believe there’s something within each of us that desires growth. I believe there’s something within each of us that desires to mature and move forward. I think there’s something within each of us that says ‘I don’t want to remain as I am.’ I’ve never met someone who told me that they hope to still be battling and struggling with such things as worry, anxiety, doubt, fear, lust, anger, pride, depression, hopelessness, etc., five years from now. I’ve never met someone who told me that they hope to still be struggling with trusting God in the years to come.
I believe the desire to grow, to mature, to move forward is from God. I believe God loves us as we are and meets us where we are, but I believe God loves us to much to let us remain as we are. In other words, God wants to see each of us mature and move forward. God wants to see you and I grow!
But here’s the thing. If you don’t know where you are, it’s tough if not impossible to actually move forward. It’s hard to get somewhere if you don’t even know where you are. The first step to growing is actually assessing where you currently are.
It’s often easy to self-assess where you are, but in all reality, we ALL have blind spots. Meaning, there are things about ourselves that are absolutely glaring to those around us, but often go unseen by us. This makes sense. We typically like to focus on all that’s right with us while ignoring the areas that are in desperate need of growth.
If we’d grow, move forward, mature, two things will need to happen.
Invite God to examine you
A prayer I pray often is simply found in the Psalms.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.Psalm 139:23-24
No one knows you like God does. No one knows your heart, your desires, and your motives like God does. I don’t want to be the guy that’s walking around offending God with how I’m living, so I need God to point out anything in me that is offensive to Him. God is gracious to not only answer that request, but He love us enough to then lead us on the path towards growth and maturity. This is not an easy thing to ask, but if you’d move forward, if you’d begin to grow, then asking the One who knows you and loves you to examine you is your starting point.
Invite a friend to give you an honest assessment of what they see when they see you
The author of Hebrews loved the community of men and women that he was writing to. He loved them enough to give them an honest assessment of where he saw them to be.
There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. Hebrews 5:11
At first glance, it seems a bit harsh to call someone ‘spiritually dull’, but if that is true, wouldn’t it be more unloving to say nothing and leave them in an unhealthy place? If someone were to give you an honest assessment of where you are, similar to what the author of Hebrews did, what would be written to you? What might that letter say about where you really are?
I wrote down what I believe would be written to me by the one who knows me best… my wife.
Michael – where’s your joy? Is it really still tied up in what you do, rather than in ALL He’s done? Why so tired? Are you still doing ALL you're doing in the flesh? Have you still not learned to rely on the power of the Spirit of God at work in you? Why are you so afraid to just sit with God? Don’t you know He has so much more for you!
Is that hard to hear and read what my wife would say to me? Absolutely! But is it true? Absolutely! I don’t want to remain as I am, thus I need the one who knows me best and loves me unconditionally to help me see what I don’t.
Growth is NEVER easy… often it is very painful. But staying where you are is even worse. If you're ready to grow… to move forward… to mature, then take some time to sit with the One who created you and invite the one who knows you best to give you another set of eyes on you.
You don't have to stay where you are.
To learn more, watch/listen to the message 'We Will Grow' preached on Sunday, March 1st.
