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Let’s get growing—the options are endless!
By Carol Kuykendall
“Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
2 Corinthians 4:16
Growing is good.
As moms, we want our children to grow. From the moment our first child was born, I was concerned about his growth. At his regular checkups, he was weighed and measured and then compared to all the other babies in the whole wide world. “He’s in the 80th percentile in height; and the 60th percentile in weight.” I felt good rather than guilty when the numbers showed he was growing.
Why? Because growing in a desired direction is good. Growing is about more than the physical process of growing bigger or older. As women, we understand this. When we’re big, we want to get littler. When we’re little, we want to get bigger. In a lifetime, the growing that matters most is inside growth. Growing more patient. Growing less critical. Growing in knowledge. Growing in leadership. Growing toward a goal.
Thankfully our inside growth will never be measured and compared to the whole wide world of growing women, but we can measure ourselves with these prescriptive suggestions for growing.
Be teachable.
How open are you to learning? Do you want to grow and change? Michelangelo, at age 87 was quoted as saying, “Ancoro imparo” which means “I am still learning.” After all he had accomplished in his life, his attitude was that there was still more to learn and discover! The Bible cautions about being hard-hearted and stiff-necked, attitudes that keep us from growing. A teachable spirit opens us up to growth. Being teachable makes us better teachers!
Create your own personal growth plan.
Where do you want to grow? Define some areas in your life where you’d like to grow… spiritually, or in some practical skills like parenting or communication skills. If you can’t think of any, ask your family. (That takes courage and vulnerability!) Evaluations from other people can motivate us to get specific about our growth plan. I recently had my annual evaluation at work which pointed out my need to grow my technical skills.
Take some risks.
Are you willing to step into an uncomfortable place in order to grow? Remember the quote: “When you’re in a comfort zone, you’re not in a growth zone. When you’re in a growth zone, you’re not in a comfort zone.” Risking requires us to stretch our trust, knowing that God helps us in our time and place of weakness. My daughter-in-law, a MOPS Coordinator, recently set a physical goal of doing a mini-triathlon to celebrate her 30th birthday. Swimming a long way in a murky lake is not her idea of fun, so pursuing this goal felt risky. But she did it!
Know when to ask for help.
Are you willing to ask for help when you need it? Somehow we think we’re more godly or good if we do life on our own, so we hesitate to ask for help. Why? Because we don’t want to seem dumb. Or weak. I do this at work sometimes. I’m having trouble filling out an Excel report on the computer, and the more frustrated I get, the more I pound away on the keys, and the more boxes on the screen disappear. But I don’t want to ask for help. Why? Because I don’t want to appear helpless.
Whether it’s help in dealing with a child or advice in dealing with a financial problem, asking for help is a response of strength, not weakness. It is also a wise choice, and one of the best lessons we can pass on to our children.
Growing in a desired direction is good. The options are endless and the result is contagious. So let’s get growing!
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Carol Kuykendall is a popular speaker and author. She and her husband, Lynn, are proud grandparents and live in Colorado. |
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