Here’s a thought to start your spring day that I think about on slow mornings. Is a Dandelion a flower, or do you see them as a weed? I love seeing them all across my front lawn, and because they show up in the most random places, it always brings a smile to my face to see those little yellow flowers pop out of the grass and bloom without a care in the world where they piped out! I’ve seen them between pavements, thinking, “That is one stubborn and determined flower that wants to show up there! Most people see them as weeds and feel like they must mow their lawns to get rid of them, but in the end, they will always show up again and again! When I was young, I would pick them and place them in a basket, saying that I went flower picking even if I only got one or two. Girls in books always went flower picking, and in Colorado, there are only a few flowers just blooming everywhere to go picking for, so Dandelions became my simple pleasure.
It’s finally warming up when you see Dandelions, but it’s fascinating that they grow underground for a time, and then, before you know it, there they are! They are not like regular flowers that show a little stem, bud, and pestles, but they just come from the ground and bloom so vibrantly, and everyone notices. In our own life, I think it isn’t easy to notice our growth, and we only truly see it when someone in our life expresses it to us and calls it out in us, but something I’ve been working on is how to understand my growth in all its stages. I am learning to understand my growth and appreciate it little by little until it eventually pops out, and it becomes one of my colors to express and show others confidently. These are some questions I ask in my journal when trying to identify different stages and questions I have in growth. Dandelions help me visualize my thoughts when I can’t put words down!
But how do we notice growth in our own life?
I’ve written about slowing down and being still before Jesus to have the time and the mindset to lean in and pause. This isn’t easy today and in culture because we always have something to do and somewhere to be. Still, my different seasons of growth and recovery moments due to medical procedures have taught me the importance of it. We always say to little kids, “You grow every day,” and that simple phrase can be said back to us about how we grow spiritually. We believe something daily, a tiny seed that gets deeper into our belief system. If we are not careful, it can become a lifestyle of choices, and right there is growth that can turn into a positive or a negative growth pattern. When a new idea, belief, or statement comes into my path, I must remember to listen and not consume immediately. Sitting with a thought does not make you instantly say yes or no to it, but it allows you time to process it with Jesus first. For example, “God is a Healer.” I’ve heard this statement repeatedly, and I think people say yes and amen and leave it there, but in my particular life, I’ve had to sit with that one and grow a deeper root of truth in that area to believe that. I’ve learned that Jesus is a healer and wants what’s best for me, but my healing takes more time than I’ve read or heard of from different stories and testimonies. That part of my life has been needing to grow deeper with Jesus for years! I can now say what I believe to others and notice that growth in my life because it is not just a statement anymore; it’s a blooming steadfast root in my soul.
How can I keep track of my progress and growth?
I’m so glad you asked! I’m a visual learner, so when I can see something come to completion, I get excited. Sometimes, that looks like a list of to-do’s I get to check off with my fancy, colorful pens, and sometimes, it’s as simple as sitting down with my old journals and reflecting on where I was a year ago. Journaling is one of many ways you can see God working in your life, and because we get so caught up in our day-to-day needs and problems, we sometimes forget where we were a week ago, a year ago, or even four years ago! I think of my four years in Tulsa, Oklahoma and who I was then is so different from who I am now. There were moments of growth and moments of feeling completely stuck. Still, it was because I needed more time to deepen those roots before being able to blossom those stories and share how they helped me in the end, and if I’m being sincere, some topics I’m still growing in today and possibly will need more years even to get close to “finishing” that growth. That’s ok! Don’t get frustrated because you haven’t seen the finish line yet, but instead, keep digging deeper and ask Jesus more questions through prayer and reading the Bible!
I’ve prayed for God to show me the growth in my season, but I still don’t see it. What should I do?
When I think of waiting for prayers to be answered and not seeing the growth I have been praying for, I think of the men and women in the Bible who prayed without ceasing, and the person who comes to mind is Hannah. Her story is in 1 Samuel 1:1-19, and she is asking for a child because she desired to be a mom in her life, but for years, she couldn’t get pregnant. She poured her whole heart into that one prayer, and she still asked without stopping to see the outcome of her heart. Our prayers mean so much to our heavenly father, and we get in our heads sometimes that He doesn’t care or doesn’t hear our cry, but if those are the thoughts or voices you are hearing, they are not from the Lord. As we mature in our faith, we must understand that some challenges will take time and prayers. We do not always see the outcome immediately, but if we can consistently get on our knees and keep an open heart to God’s loving heart, we can embrace and trust that His answer will be all we need in His timing. Growth doesn’t happen because we force it. Growth occurs with time, patience, and nurturing.
Remember the question I asked in the beginning? Are Dandelions considered a flower or a weed? Perspective is a crazy thing because when I look at them, I see beauty, stubbornness, and a little flower wanting to thrive and live! Even when people mow their lawns and cut them off, they still return ready to start again. That is how I want my growing season to look! I want to see the beauty in the moment it’s meant to be beautiful. I want to be stubborn and learn the hard things, even if it takes me forever. Lastly, I want to get back up even when life tries to cut me down to stop my growth in Jesus because without growing in him through all those things then, I will become a weed that only spreads spiky leaves, deeply rooted lies, and beliefs, and a stubbornness towards God that wasn’t meant to be towards Him.
Understanding and noticing our growth is so important because it will either help us grow closer to Jesus or make us doubt God’s timing and preparation to become something that blooms and spreads joy to others. We can share how we got there one day with others to help others blossom themselves.
Leave a Reply