But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever, Amen.

~2 Peter 3:18 ESV

 

A life-sized poster of six-foot-six Michael Jordan once hung on a wall in our home. Along the right side of the print was a scale we used to chart the growth spurts of our children.

We thought the impressive image would give our boys something to aim toward. However, none of them ever made it over the six-foot mark. But we had fun making them back up to the poster so we could mark and date their height. Our family multiplied to include three boys and two girls.

At times, they would show a significant growth spurt. When that occurred, they would walk off with a little strut in their steps. Sean, our tallest, towered over all of us.

As I reminisce about these days, I wonder if Father God has a measuring chart for our spiritual growth. If so, could we see when our faith experiences spiritual growth spurts? Maybe it would be a trial we faced, a sermon we listened to, or a spiritual retreat we attended that caused the growth. Whatever the case, I am sure God orchestrated those events to challenge us to mature in our Christian journey.

Natural growth happens when we feed on solid, healthy food. We take in protein and carbohydrates that our bodies process to reach their full stature. We have in our foundational DNA the ability to be as tall as our genetics will allow. Unfortunately, if we take in the wrong balance of nutrients, we limit ourselves and jeopardize our maximum potential.

The Bible is our measuring scale for spiritual growth, guiding us as we go through life. Gaining knowledge from Scripture is our protein, and grace is our carbohydrates. When we exercise these spiritual building blocks through godly living, we mature and grow as God intended.

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

~2 Thessalonians 1:3 ESV

While our desire is to reach full spiritual maturity, we find ourselves ingesting the wrong things. We become unfit and out of shape. In some cases, we shrink instead of growing. Perhaps, we should hang a life-sized poster of Christ on the wall of our hearts. This would motivate us to achieve the goals we aim for regarding spiritual growth.

It is only when we determine to live for Christ that we become empowered to grow to our full potential. Christ Jesus our Lord has given us all we need.

Share an incident where you experienced a spiritual growth spurt.

Father God, I welcome the growth spurts of faith You orchestrate in my life. Help me to feed daily on Your Word so I will mature in my love for others, in grace, and in the knowledge of Your dear Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2021: Growth Spurts: Ben Cooper: All Rights Reserved