Last year, while camping in southern Colorado, we found a broken cactus branch. The mother plant was a stately specimen, so we brought the branch home to see if we could give it a second life. It took a few weeks to root, but unfortunately, it wasn’t growing. It survived the cold and snow of a Colorado winter and several hail storms in spring, but surviving isn’t the same as thriving. All of a sudden, though, new shoots popped out all over the original stalk, and it began to grow.
Jesus used growing plants often in his parables and analogies for the Christian life, and I suspect his reasons for that went deeper than just giving his agricultural listeners more relatable illustrations.
In my 60 years of life, I have often come to the uncomfortable understanding that I had a real growth need. At times, I realized I didn’t know how to be a good husband, dad, son or friend. At other times, I crashed and burned in my efforts at work. There were (are) also times when I discover I’m not the spiritual man I thought I was.
I have at least three options when I come to these uncomfortable realizations. The first is to deny reality. This one never ends well, but it’s the go-to response for many people. The next alternative is to acknowledge the issue but delay dealing with it. Lastly, I can choose to do the hard work required for growth. Obviously, this choice is the best, but it also takes the most time and requires the most resources.
When we don’t feel like we’re growing in a desired area, we must be patient with ourselves and the process. Otherwise, we’ll abort the good work of growth we hope to see in our lives. Remember Christ’s parable to his followers: “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree…” (Matthew 13:30-31, ESV). The results almost always start out small.
Perhaps you feel like you’ve been through the storms and droughts of life. You may be doing the hard work of growth, but nothing seems to be happening. Don’t lose hope. Growth may be slow, but God is faithful to finish the work he has begun in you.
Mark Renfroe and his wife, Amy, have been involved in field missions work for 30 years. Mark served as the area director for Assemblies of God World Missions and currently serves as the chief missions officer for World Challenge.