CONTINUALLY GROWING

The last year or so I have realized how important it is to be continually GROWING….

…in our relationship with the Lord

…in our relationships with family and friends

…in our knowledge of how things work

…in our networking with others

…in our perspectives on life

…in our views of other ways of doing things

…in taking care of our precious bodies

By continually growing we can learn new and different things in order to help expand our horizons in this life.

Through learning continually, we will be growing in knowledge and wisdom. I think sometimes we tend to be stuck doing the same old thing which tends to get monotonous and may stunt our growth.

Even something as simple as learning new ways to get places can be beneficial. This happened to me with picking up my son from a baseball camp. I did not know the easy way to get to the camp from my work until I checked out the different ways to get there. In turn, knowing that route helped me know where something else was that I needed to know later.

It’s kind of like this “road map” of life. You never know when some piece of information will come in handy in your life or even in helping another. Someone sharing something as simple as a software program enabled me to pursue my love of writing no matter where I am. If I did not have that tool, I know I would not have made the time to write and sit at a computer. Other things would have become more of a priority.

I think it is sad when someone is not willing to grow or change in their ways. If you aren’t willing to expand your horizons or think that it is beneficial to learn or try something new, you will definitely miss out. I think people are really missing out on more opportunities when they have that kind of attitude. God can work even more in their life if they were open to it.

This has been proven to me over the last few years. It has been amazing how God has used social media to help expand my horizons and let me gain more insight into life, and in turn helping me to be a better person.

Photo credit by ransomtech under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

The more you know, the more you can be open to change, and even improve things you need to change about yourself.

I encourage you to look for ways you can GROW in this New Year…

…in your relationship with the Lord—maybe joining a Bible Study group or even an on-line group

…in your relationships with family and friends—make time to visit someone who needs a friend or someone you haven’t connected with in years

…in your knowledge of how things work—maybe grab a book from the library on something “new” you always wanted to know

…in your networking with others—reach out to others so you can benefit from their wisdom and they in turn can learn from you

…in your perspectives on life—be aware that everyone thinks differently…maybe sharing with someone will let you gain a new perspective on something in life and vice versa

…in your views of other ways of doing things—maybe doing something in a little different fashion from your norm will yield beneficial rewards for you.

…in taking better care of your body–maybe going for a walk everyday or doing some kind of exercise daily.

I encourage you to seek ways to GROW daily in your life so you can be the person the Lord wants you to be….in right relationship with Him first, and then others . Continually growing and changing to improve ourselves is a great goal to work towards each day.

Can you think of ways that learning has helped you grow? Or is there some knowledge you can pass on to someone else to help them?

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. –Romans 12:2 (NIV)