A Necessary Kind of Pain

Growth hurts.

When I was a little girl, I remember thrashing in the bed because of the growing pains in my legs. Maybe they were made worse by a long summer day of playing outside, or maybe I was just low on potassium. My memory on the subject is dim, but I do know the leg cramps were miserable.

Yes, growth hurts. And we never quite reach an age where the growing stops, or we shouldn’t anyway. It just becomes less of a physical growth, and more of an emotional and spiritual one. Still, growth becomes no less painful.

Only dead things stop growing.

I have a house full of plants that require my ongoing time, attention and nurturing. When I water my plants, I carefully pull away the dead leaves. To fail to do so would cause the plant to spend unnecessary energy trying to repair parts that no longer contain life.

Sometimes personal growth requires me to be carefully pruned. To really experience growth means some things in me need to die so that I may fully live the abundant life that Jesus planned when he died for me.

Jesus was never confused about His mission and purpose on this side of Heaven.