Although we aren't Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights believing that "If you're not first, you're last," we know that we do need to be progressing forward. At least, I hope we all know that we should be moving forward. We must be growing in our lives.
This is often a tough concept for adults. As a child, or teen, it's easier. There is a whole world ahead of us and there are bigger and better things. But then, somewhere along the way, we get beat up. We're tired of the grind. We long to sit and be still. The idea of growth dwindles. After all, we're here. We made it. We often think of growth in sports. Practice, practice, practice! Music is the same. Education as well. We take classes, get tutors, do extra credit. When we find our career we jump through the hoops, stay extra hours, learn the latest techniques and grow with hope of climbing the ladder. What about the parts of us that never leave? In no particular order: mind, heart, spirit, emotions, will, all the internal points of our being. I know in the church we talk about spiritual growth and what that looks like, but can there be more? I think so. Do you ever look back at a situation and think, "Wow, I bet if this happened eight years ago I would have yelled at that idiot."? I know I have. I have learned when to speak and when to listen. I've learned how to speak to different people in ways that work for the best for all of us. I've learned when speaking would mean nothing and so I hold my tongue. Too often I feel that people have no desire to grow as human beings. We have become self-righteous, entitled people that shout, "I am who I am. Let me be me!" What a load of crap. This is simply an excuse to act like a jerk and expect to get away with it. There. I said it. And I say it from experience. I used to say that I was sarcastic and it's not my fault if someone couldn't take a joke. That's also known as being insensitive to other people, but hey, "That's just how I am." The only way for growth to happen is if people are actually held accountable for their actions and words. People need to learn how to act and speak and learn that their actions and words do effect people. We can continue to be selfish, or we can try to be gracious. I'm not saying we have to limit ourselves for other people. That can be dangerous, too. But we must find the balance between speaking what we want just for the heck of it, and speaking what is right, for the best purpose. We are designed to grow. We are not meant to be stagnant in any area of our lives. Stagnant water leads to mold. The same is true of humans. Areas that we refuse to grow in, are areas filled with mold. There are too many moldy people in this world.
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AuthorI have a lot to say about a lot of things. Archives
May 2023
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