Growth Comes With A Title Change
“I have come to believe that just like seedlings, people need to be cared for and cultivated.”
Developing Potential
What needs to happen for a seed to grow? There are a few necessary steps to get a seed to develop into its potential outcome, a beautiful flower, food-producing plant, or tree to provide shade on a hot summer day.
First, you need a clean and appropriate sized pot or tray with drainage holes. Start with good quality soil for the seeds, typically a potting soil or seed-starting mix. Be sure to avoid using garden soil because it could be already contaminated with weed seeds and disease organisms.
Plant the seeds at a proper depth. If seeds are planted too shallow, they with not be able to withstand the elements. If planted too deep, the seeds might never reach the top of the soil to grow.
After planting the seeds at the proper depth, it is necessary to water the seedlings. Be careful not to water too little or too much. Too little water will result in the seeds drying out. Too much water will result in drowning the seedlings.
Until the seeds begin to germinate, maintain consistent moisture by placing a cover over the soil and seedlings.
The next step in seed germination is keeping the soil warm and at a constant temperature.
Once the seedlings have good, warm soil, and water, fertilizer is needed after the second set of leaves have begun to grow. The compost or manure needs to be applied gently.
Seedlings also need sunlight, somewhere around fourteen-sixteen hours of direct light.
Next, air-circulation helps to prevent disease and encourages the development of strong stems.
Hardening Off
Lastly, the seedlings must experience the “hardening off” procedure. The seedlings have been through each intentional step in the growth and development process, and now they must acclimate to their new surroundings, the outdoors. These surroundings are much different and harsher than before. However, if the seedlings were cultivated with care and tested throughout each step in its growth, the seedling should be ready to meet any obstacle it might face.
Care & Cultivation
I have come to believe that just like seedlings, people need to be cared for and cultivated. The process is the same; we need to be placed in functional environments that are conducive to grow and experience life in a safe space and watered continuously with encouragement. When the winds of change and difficulty hit us, we are ready because we have experienced this trial before. Correction and discipline act as fertilizer, that when gently applied, makes us stronger with deeper roots and a taller shoot to stand. The sun reminds us that every day is a new opportunity to be accountable for the knowledge we have and what we share with others.
Growth comes with intentionality from within and from others: people who have influenced and cultivated core principles in your life.
Drowning Under The Pressure
So many people fall into the trap of believing that they will grow when they achieve a particular promotion that brings about status and accomplishment. Sure, you might be able to keep your head above the water for a bit, but eventually, you’ll drown under pressure.
We assume that growth just happens naturally. Our bodies grow, but for our bodies to be healthy, we have to eat food that is nutritious and stimulates healthy growth. If you are not feeding your mind with nutritious food such as books, podcasts, seminars, webinars, etc., you will eventually stop growing and eventually dry up and die.
“The Ceiling Is The Roof.” – Michael Jordan
As you stop learning, your mind only functions on the knowledge it has previously gained. Not growing and developing yourself will also prevent those you lead from doing the same. You are placing what many experts call a “lid” or cap on the development of others.
Our brains must be exercised like any other muscle in our bodies. Expanding your knowledge on subjects and ideas benefits you and everyone around you. Most people like to talk about things that excite them and the things they are learning. We naturally want to share ideas and thoughts.
Doing Your Best Requires Hard Work
Doing your best requires hard work. Exercise, both in the physical, emotional, and spiritual sense, is hard work. Think about physically exercising for a moment. Have you ever worked out so hard that you were utterly exhausted? You pushed yourself to the limit, and there was no coming back from it. As you lift weights, you are tearing your muscle fibers and stretching to break them. The soreness you feel after a workout is your body repairing itself, but the exciting thing about this process is that your body heals those muscles and makes them stronger than they once were.
Nap Time Is The Best
Your brain is a muscle that needs to be exercised. Think about when you were in school. Did you ever come home from school so exhausted that you took a nap? It has been a while for me with school, but I see this sometimes with my children. They learn so much within a short eight hour day. Their minds are sore from retaining that knowledge; they lose themselves, end up getting angry, then running upstairs and jumping in their beds. Somehow a short nap changes their moods.
This trap causes me to believe that I will grow spiritually in my relationship with Jesus Christ just because I am a Christian. It is just not right! Relationships require effort. I’m not saying the effort is what is needed for salvation. I’m merely stating that effort is necessary to grow in a relationship.
The Parable Of The Sower
Jesus Christ provides a perfect example of this trap in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter thirteen. He, Jesus spoke in many parables, and this day was like every other day. The crowds were eager to hear what Jesus would tell them. So many people were there that Jesus actually had to get in a boat and speak from the sea. Jesus begins to say to the crowd about a sower that went out to sow seeds. As he sowed the seeds, some fell along the path, and birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on rocky soil that, in a short time, produced some growth with shallow roots, but when the sun came out, they quickly died. Other seeds fell among thorns. The seeds were able to grow for a short while, but eventually, the thorns choked out the good seeds and stole the nutrients from the ground. Lastly, some other seeds fell on the good soil that was vibrant and healthy. Since the soil was good, the seeds grew to produce fruit: some hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times what was sown.
Parable Explained
After telling the crowd this parable, Jesus explained. The first set of seeds, the ones are thrown along the path are people who hear the word about the kingdom and does not understand it. The evil one snatches what was sown in his heart. The seeds sown on the rocky soil receives the good news with joy at first, but since there is no root, it dies quickly. Moving on to the seeds sown in the thickets and thorns, they hear the good news but are choked out because they become distracted and distressed about the things of less importance. Finally, the seeds sown in the good soil hears, understands, and believes the word. They produce fruit at different yields according to their capacity.
There are certain aspects of growing as a believer in Christ Jesus. In order to know Him, I must read the Bible, have conversations with Him in prayer, and share His story with others. There is only one type of seed I choose to be from Jesus’ parable. The seed that fell on the good soil and produced fruit.
Good Soil
I desire for the family that God so graciously gave to me, fall in the good soil category. As their leader, I tend to their soil and make sure I water them regularly with grace and truth and allow God’s Word to penetrate their souls like the sun penetrates the earth’s atmosphere.
I want my children saturated by God’s Word. I want them to hear of God’s goodness and faithfulness from my wife and me in everything we do. The music we listen to, the movies we watch, and places we go make the difference in the condition of our hearts.
Hope Not Hopelessness
If I do not fill my children’s minds with songs filled with the hope of the Gospel, but instead fill their minds with songs that promote self-interest and hate, I would be teaching them of hopelessness and hatred of people who are created in God’s image.
I want them to know of the unlimited access they have with God through the faith in and power of Christ Jesus. They can only know that through growth in knowledge of Him through Scripture and dedicated time with Him in prayer.
Maturity In Growth
As their daddy, I want what is best for them, but I also know that I have to teach them these things. They will not grow and develop into a mature relationship with Jesus Christ if they are not taught how to do so.
As my children grow and mature into adults, I pray that I have prepared them for every trial they might face. I pray that I have equipped them with the knowledge to withstand the wind from a raging storm, the temptation in the desert, a shield for protection against flaming darts, and the persecution of standing up for what they know to be true.
Equip & Develop
I want the same for the many young adults that cross my path at work. I have only two options: equip and develop them into generational leaders or deprive them of good soil that could produce even great fruit.
So, does growth come with a title change? It might, but it also requires preparation and dedication to continually grow.
Questions For Reflection
How can you fight against the trap of believing that a change in position will result in personal growth?
What steps can you take this week in growing physically, spiritually, and emotionally?
Do you have someone who can hold you accountable and challenge you to grow in these areas?
What would the “hardening off” process look like in your life?
