Change vs. Growth

In this blog, I continue the conversation we started a few weeks ago on adopting new lens’ for 2016. Let’s consider a change versus a growth lens.

Change. I’ll be honest not one of my favorite words. I’m not personally in love with the idea that I need to change. On the flipside I’m all about growth. It’s semantics I know, but for me change represents the need to be replaced. Where growth represents the idea of evolving – taking what’s there and making it better.

So while it’s semantics in many ways, if I view change as simply change – I miss the “What’s in it for me?” part. Growth is what God wants for me not from me.

When it comes to Change versus Growth, I’m not attempting to position it as right versus wrong. I’m simply saying that for me, a lens of growth leads to willingness. I am more open to the idea when I see it through a growth lens.

Change is the result of continuous growth. If you look at me today versus who I was when I initially joined NCF Heartland, you would literally not recognize me. Days of big-hair-gone-astray aside, the most dramatic change over the last 15 years lies within my heart.

That change came through a commitment to continuous growth in my walk with Christ. It wasn’t overnight and it wasn’t without pain – they call it growing pains for a reason. Growing is painful but totally worth it. Growth breeds change. And when faced with change that’s outside my control, the choice to grow into that change is on me.

How about you? What is it that God wants for you in a season of change? Might you embrace the growth that God wants for you in this season?

This post first appeared on CompelAcademy.com