Seasons of Growth
We live in a society that esteems quickness and efficiency. Early is often viewed as better than on time. We don’t like slow, not typically anyways. We want results, and we want them quickly. Our fast-paced world never slows to accommodate our need for a slower pace, so we rush alongside its steady pace. We want productivity, and to achieve growth slowly can seem a fate worse than death at times.
What if growth wasn’t measured, though, by how quickly it was achieved but rather by what it yielded? What if the time it takes to produce something worthwhile was actually worth the wait to get that desired end result? And what if there are seasons for growth to occur, implying that there are also seasons for rest where growth seems dormant?
Years ago, I found myself studying the process a seed goes through from the planting stage all the way through the producing stage. I was fascinated by what I learned. My impatient nature would rather purchase a mature plant to place in the ground than to bury a seed that will require days, if not weeks, of waiting and watering for me to see results.
A seed must be buried. It then absorbs water to the point that it bursts open—the death of the seed. The bursting open yields to new life—growth. Even in the process of a small seed, death is required for new life to come forth. But before the plant can make its way upward, the roots must grow down first. If you have about 90 seconds, watch this time lapse video of the germination process of a seed.
There are so many parallels we can draw from this simple example of a seed, and I think the first one that comes to mind is the truth that adversity has a unique ability to produce growth in us. We can either be crushed under the weight of adversity, or we can stand up under the weight of it. The latter tends to produce strength in us that equips us for what often comes next…more adversity.
This life is hard. This life is also very good. More often than not, I have found that both tracks are running alongside each other at the same time, the hard and the good. Like the seed buried in the dark, cold soil, we so often feel buried beneath the weight of our circumstances. Like the seed that must absorb water and must burst in order to grow, growth often occurs in us when we endure through the breaking. But does growth only occur through pain? Does new life only come through suffering?
I don’t think so because like so many other parts of life that are seasonal, I think growth follows suit. Again, look at the seed. Within the process, there is a season of planting, a season of watering and waiting, a season of growth, and with most plants, a season of rest when they produce nothing and appropriately so. When we see growth as a metric by which we derive our value and worth, I fear that we will only be disappointed in the results we produce. But if we view growth as a season which requires so many other seasons, I think we might just find ourselves hopeful.
It’s also important to remember that not all growth is good growth. Weeds grow. Cancer grows. I hope we desire to cultivate good growth in our lives, growth that yields to peace, faith, hope, and love.
- Cherie Wagner
About Cherie
Founder of Neue Thing, Inc. and author of several Bible studies and books for women that encourage them to know and believe God’s Word, equip them to live it, and empower them to take it and transform this generation for Jesus Christ.
