I do not have a very big green thumb or the best at keeping plants alive. I did become a bit better a few years ago when I was given a plant for my grandpa’s funeral. The school I was working at the time gave me a hope lily, and I love it so much. I am also very proud of myself for keeping it alive for the past five years. I also was given a small succulent from my friend Allison that she received from a wedding. She had so many succulents, so she wanted to share the joy. It is also growing and staying alive. This is especially good for me, because I usually have done an especially bad job with the succulents I have previously owned.
However, as I have owned these plants the past few years, there have been times where the pot I have for the plant is too small for the plant’s needs. I know there were a few problems because the succulent or the Hope Lily didn’t seem to be thriving. No matter how much I watered them or made sure they had enough sunshine or even made sure to rotate them to get sunshine from the various different angles, it just didn’t seem to work. They were still a bit droopy and looking a bit sad. This was because the roots couldn’t seem to get all the nutrients they needed. They needed more room to grow.
I believe this can happen to people in our everyday walks of life as well. Sometimes people outgrow the job they are in. Sometimes we can really get used to the job we have and the position we have had for years, until one day we feel as though we aren’t being challenged or aren’t developing any new skills like in the past. This sometimes means we need to take on a new job or take a bigger position with more responsibility.
This can also be similar to us and our Christian walk. There are going to be times where we need to be challenged to speak to other people about Christ. Maybe this is the challenge for us to leave a Bible study in order to lead our own with new people. Maybe this is a challenge for us to go on a mission trip to a faraway land or domestically. There are a lot of ways we can feel challenged to grow deeper in our Christian walk and through spreading God’s love with others.
Some of the ways in my history I know I was called and challenged in my Christian faith, was when I knew, living in Buffalo Center, I needed a Bible Study to be a part of. I needed a chance to meet with other believers and discuss the teachings and the commands of the Bible. This is why I was so excited to join one of the women’s Bible Studies at my church. This ended up being an amazing blessing. It was one of my favorite things to go to once a month. I also started meeting one on one with my Bible Study leader to continue my own personal growth and study. My personal way I have been challenged recently is something I discussed a few blog posts ago through feeling challenged to start meeting one on one with another believer and to start discipling them.
Hebrews 6:1-3 discusses the importance of growing in the love and the teachings of Christ. This says, “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites,the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.” This discusses the importance of growing in maturity and in the wisdom and the instruction of Christ. We can’t stay in the elementary teachings forever. Just as we advance and mature in our educational career, or our jobs, or even socially, we need to do so with Christ.
The challenge for you this week is to spend some time thinking about whether or not you have outgrown a “pot” you are currently in. This could be in life, social settings, and/or in your Christian life. Are there areas where you feel you have outgrown your place in the world? Are there places where you are feeling challenged? If you do have those certain areas, where you are being challenged and are being called to do something different, take time to write out a plan how you can go forth into this challenge or in your new “pot.” It may be just the choice to really help you thrive, just like my plants are thriving in their new bigger pots.
Colossians 3:23 Blog 