Today MattersSample

Growth Matters

Have you ever heard the story of the person with tremendous talent, an unbelievable intellect, and unlimited potential but who fizzled out into nothingness?

No?

Well, there’s a reason for that—people who settle for mediocrity don’t stand out! Their stories don’t get told.

But you know what stories ARE told, over and over again? Stories of people who embraced a life of growth. Growth allows us to make progress today and live to our potential in the future. Growth is the great separator.

Many people fail to grow because they assume that growth is automatic. In fact, human experience contributes to this notion—for the first two decades of our lives, we grow in ways we don’t control. Our bodies develop naturally, and our minds are shaped by parents and teachers. As a result, we get used to others driving our growth, and we fail to take ownership of it ourselves. 

But growth is up to us.

There is perhaps no greater example of this truth than the life of Jesus. In the second chapter of Luke, we read about a preteen Jesus sitting in the Temple in Jerusalem during Passover, asking and answering questions with religious scholars and experts in the Law of Moses. His questions—and his answers—left the scholars in awe.

But it’s in verse 52 where Luke helps us understand the significance of the story: “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” Jesus increased—grew—physically, mentally, spiritually and socially. We must do the same.

Everyone has the potential to be greater, but that potential must be tapped for growth to happen.