Growth. It’s what happens when something is nurtured and has been given all the essentials. My favorite flower is the Gerbera Daisy, with its rich, colorful blooms, and lush green foliage. These words describe a daisy when it is watered and nurtured. Plants need three life giving things: sunlight, water, and nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Without any one of these, the plant ceases to thrive, shrivels, and even dies. Not having the water it needs produces sad, drooping leaves and blooms that fall completely over on their faces. Without sun, the foliage can’t produce the chlorophyll necessary to keep its vibrant color. It fades and may turn yellow. Finally, when a plant is missing vital nutrients, its growth is stunted. The leaf tips can look burnt, and it can quit producing fruit (or blooms).
People are Like Flowers
This sounds a lot like us. When children aren’t loved, nurtured, and given the “nutrients” that are essential to life, they may experience delays in their development. “Failure to thrive” means their physical growth and development stunts or decreases. It can happen when a child cannot take in or is unable to absorb nutrients from food. When a person isn’t loved or is mistreated, their confidence wilts, they shrink back and wither away emotionally. Humans may not be able to give the things necessary to grow, but this is not the case with God. He always provides.
God Nurtures Generously
The Lord loves us so much. He knows the right amount of the necessary nutrients in order to thrive. He is always faithful to give us what we need, and there is never a time when He gives us less than His best. As we begin to trust Him and say “yes” to Jesus, He begins to grow us in many ways.
Growth in Wisdom
James 1: 5 tells us that if we lack wisdom, all we have to do is ask Him and He will give it generously to us. King Solomon was a young king that did not have experience leading a country. One night, God visited him in a dream and asked him what He should give him. Solomon asked God to give him wisdom. This pleased God that he did not ask for wealth or for power over his enemies. God not only gave him a wise and understanding heart, but he added all of the other things, as well. 1Kings 3:5-15a
Growing in Love for Others.
Let’s just be honest for a moment. Some people are just down-right difficult to love, or even like, for that matter. We are difficult to love sometimes too, truth be told. As an educator for over 20 years, I have come across a few students and co-workers that fell into this “hard to love” category. In my journey, EVERY SINGLE TIME I prayed for Him to give me His love for a difficult person, or have asked Him to show me the good in them, He answered in a very real way. How are you struggling with loving people in your life right now? I challenge you to ask Him to put His love for this person in your heart and see how He moves. God is love (1 John 4:8); therefore, it’s very important to Him for us to love others.
Growth in the Knowledge of His Word.
We chose paths of growth. Some may choose to learn to play and sing music. Others may desire to learn to write, take up a sport, or learn a new skill. No matter what path of growth we choose, we learn and grow by spending time in it. God wants to grow us in His Word. After all, this is how He speaks to us. There are countless verses that speak about the beauty and benefits of knowing scripture. Psalm 119 is an entire chapter about delighting in God’s word. The author pleads with God to, “Give me life through your Word,” (vs. 25). His Word is nourishment, protection, and light to our souls (Psalm 119). Let’s commit to spending time allowing our souls to be refreshed.
Growing in Faith and Trust.
In the everyday experiences, in our walk with Jesus, He begins to build our trust. When we ask for help or seek Him in a situation, and He answers our prayers, our confidence grows in Him.
Once, when my daughter was in high school, she really wanted to go to a formal dance at a local private school with a sweet friend from church. We really didn’t have the money for her to go to this “extra” dance in addition to the ones she attended at her high school. However, I could see how much she wanted to go, and my heart caved. I scrounged up $100. Parking in the JC Penny’s parking lot, I hoped they had a dress. I prayed out loud, “Lord, I have $100 dollars to spend in order to get everything we need to make this happen. We need a dress, shoes, jewelry, and even a handbag. Will you help us find what we need and stick to our budget at the same time? Amen.” Morgan echoed an amen and off we went.
She tried on several dresses and picked one that was on sale for about $50. This was great! We would still have money for shoes and accessories! We walked up to the counter to pay for it, and the cashier said, “That will be $26.52.” I’m sure I stood there with confusion written on my face. I looked at the tag and asked if that was the correct price. She said the dresses were an additional 50% off. Tears filled my eyes as I stood in amazement at how God had answered my prayer. We found the rest of what we needed and still had money left over! Talk about how God grew my faith and trust in that very moment.
Cracking Open the Hurt Places
No matter who you are, where you come from, or whether you were loved or mistreated as a child, your Heavenly Father loves you. He desires a relationship with you. He created you. You are deeply and dearly loved. Isaiah 43 says it beautifully, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine” (vs.1 emphasis mine). A beautiful thing happened as I read this for the first time, many years into adulthood. This girl, who grew up feeling unloved and forgotten, had a heart that cracked wide open to soak in the love of Jesus. A soaking that filled up the empty places and filled its roots with life giving nourishment. No longer was I the wilted flower without confidence and strength to stand tall.
Prayer
Oh Lord, if we could only realize just how loving and faithful you are. Help us to see. Open our eyes and soften our hearts to comprehend just who You are and who You want to be in our lives. You created us. You love us. You grow us for our good.