Growth That Lasts (really)
Understanding God's Process for Spiritual Growth
Have you ever wondered why spiritual growth feels so difficult? Why your New Year's resolutions to pray more, read the Bible regularly, or become more loving seem to fizzle out after just a few weeks? You're not alone in this struggle, and there's actually a profound reason why our approach to growth often leaves us feeling frustrated and defeated.
Why Do We Struggle with Spiritual Growth?
Maintaining a beautiful garden requires consistent work, pruning, and patience, spiritual growth demands significant investment. Many people avoid complex gardening because it's overwhelming - there's so much to learn, so many things that can go wrong, and the results aren't immediate.
The same principle applies to our spiritual lives. When we decide to grow closer to God, we're often working against years or even decades of established habits and routines. We might have a moment of clarity where we think, "I want to make a change for good. I want to figure out what God wants for my life." But then reality sets in.
The Cycle of Spiritual Frustration
Here's what typically happens: You start with enthusiasm, maybe buying a new journal, downloading a Bible app, or committing to daily prayer. But after a few weeks, you don't feel like you're changing at all. You start feeling guilty because you told people you were going to change. Then you begin to wonder if God is even real or if He cares enough about you to help.
This spiral of self-doubt can leave you worse off than when you started, especially when spirituality is involved. You might even question whether you're good enough or lovable enough for God to work in your life.
What Does Jesus Say About Growth?
Jesus addresses this exact struggle through a simple but profound parable in Mark 4:26-29. He says the kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he's asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but the farmer doesn't understand how it happens. The earth produces crops on its own - first a leaf blade, then heads of wheat, and finally the grain ripens for harvest.
In this story, the seed represents your desire to become the person God wants you to be. It's your potential and hope for growth - whether that's learning to be kinder, more generous, less critical, or breaking free from destructive habits.
Who Does the Work vs. Who Does the Growing?
Here's the revolutionary insight from Jesus' parable: The farmer does the work, but God does all the growing.
Notice that in verse 27, the farmer doesn't even understand how the growth happens. Whether he's asleep or awake, whether he's watching or not, the seed continues to sprout and grow. The farmer could set up a tent in the field and watch with a magnifying glass, but he still wouldn't understand the molecular processes happening beneath the surface.
Our Obsession with Metrics
This is where we often go wrong. We become obsessed with measuring our spiritual growth moment by moment. We want to analyze everything: "Am I doing it right? Why don't I notice a change? What am I doing wrong?"
If we were that farmer, we'd be tempted to dig up the soil constantly to check if anything's happening. But in doing so, we'd actually ruin the growth that's already occurring.
What Is Our Role in Spiritual Growth?
The farmer still has important work to do, even though he's not responsible for the actual growing:
Plant the seed in the right soil
Water and maintain the growing area
Harvest the crop when it's ready (which is hard work!)
Similarly, our role in spiritual growth involves the following:
Being Honest About Growth Areas
Start by discovering and acknowledging where you want to grow. Maybe you want to communicate better with your spouse, learn to love people you disagree with, develop empathy and compassion, or break free from addictions that pull you away from your best self.
Putting the Seed in the Right Soil
This means turning your growth over to God through prayer: "Lord, help me with this. This isn't something I can do by myself. Spirit of God, show me where I need to start changing. Give me people to encourage and challenge me. Help me have a humble heart so I can see where You want to lead me."
This is what the Bible calls "metanoia" - a turning over of allegiance and desire to God. It's a daily, moment-by-moment surrender.
Why Can't We Do It Alone?
You might be thinking, "But I've been a Christian for years and I'm still waiting for God to change this area of my life." Here's the key question: Have you actually put the seeds in the soil, or are they still in your pocket?
Just because you love Jesus doesn't automatically mean you've made Him responsible for the change and growth you want to see. You might be putting in work, but self-help alone will never get you where you want to grow.
The Problem with Self-Reliance
When we try to operate only out of our own talent, skill, or desire, we become unmoored. One day we feel too highly about ourselves, the next day too low. We're certain and confident one moment, confused and unmoored the next. Without being anchored in God's process, we have no foundation.
What About Slow or Unexpected Growth?
Sometimes we want to be like bamboo - establishing roots quickly and then growing up to 35 inches per day. But what if God has designed you to be more like an oak tree, which can take 30 years to reach medium size?
Consider the oak tree growing out of the side of a mountain. An acorn somehow found its way into a crack in the rock, and over decades, its roots grew around, under, and through the mountain until it emerged in an unexpected place. That tree isn't sitting on the mountain - it's living inside it, deeply rooted and unshakeable dropping its seeds to the valley below.
Your growth may be slow and seem like it's taking forever, but if you do your part and let God do His, the impact will be lasting and far beyond what you can see or imagine.
Life Application
This week, shift your mindset from being the one responsible for your spiritual growth to being the faithful farmer who plants seeds and trusts God for the results. Choose one area where you want to grow and instead of trying to manage the process yourself, surrender it completely to God through daily prayer and trust.
Ask yourself these questions:
What seeds of potential am I still carrying in my pocket instead of planting in God's soil?
Am I trying to measure and control my spiritual growth instead of trusting God's process?
How can I focus on doing my part (the work) while letting God handle His part (the growing)?
Am I willing to accept slow, unexpected growth that might look nothing like what I envisioned?
Remember: You do the work, God does the growing. Trust the process, even when you can't see or feel what's happening beneath the surface.
