{"id":548,"date":"2011-04-25T16:11:10","date_gmt":"2011-04-25T16:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chadstutzman.net\/?p=548"},"modified":"2011-04-25T16:11:10","modified_gmt":"2011-04-25T16:11:10","slug":"7-things-that-must-happen-for-growth-to-occur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chadstutzman.com\/?p=548","title":{"rendered":"7 Things That Must Happen for Growth to Occur"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Spiritual growth doesn’t just happen, any more than running a marathon “just happens.”\u00a0 You don’t wake up one day and go run a marathon.\u00a0 It takes months of training and preparation.\u00a0 Growth results from hard work.\u00a0 The harder you train and prepare the better you will do in the race.<\/p>\n

As I have been training for the upcoming Cleveland Marathon in May, I have had to form new habits and be disciplined in working out.\u00a0 I know that if I don’t train now, I will pay the price later. As I run and do cross training my body is strengthened and able to endure longer distances.\u00a0 I also am able to recover much quicker from hard workouts.\u00a0 I can run farther and faster now because of the work I have put in over the last 6 months.<\/p>\n

In the Bible Paul compares maturing or growing a person to growing a plant (Col 2:6,7).\u00a0 When you take seed, soil, sunshine, and water and put them together, you don’t get a plant overnight.\u00a0 You need time.\u00a0 Paul knew that our roots would not grow deep overnight.\u00a0 Our lives are much that way.\u00a0 Either we are growing slowly by taking steps forward or we are declining by taking steps backward.\u00a0 Just like a plant can’t grow without the right conditions, we need to right conditions to grow and thrive.\u00a0 Whether we want to grow spiritually, emotionally, relationally or physically, it takes certain things for that to happen.\u00a0 Here are some reminders of what must happen for growth to occur:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Labor – <\/strong>Someone has to work.\u00a0 For growth to happen hard work need to take place.\u00a0 That means having the right mindset of doing difficult things that may cause some pain initially, but that will lead to growth down the road.\u00a0 That happens when I workout, my muscles get sore, but they also get stronger.\u00a0 When I practice honesty, it can cause some initial pain, but it leads to stronger healthier relationships.\u00a0 When I take time to read or write, it takes effort, but it also pays dividends.<\/li>\n
  2. Stretching – <\/strong>We have to stretch for more.\u00a0 When I get out of my comfort zone and push myself, I see much better results.\u00a0 I can hit walls, in all areas of my life, but if I can stretch just a little more I grow to higher levels.\u00a0 Once we stretch to a new place we now have expanded our capacity to grow.\u00a0 Stretching relationally may be working through conflict instead of yelling or using the silent treatment.<\/li>\n
  3. Learning – <\/strong>In order to grow we must learn.\u00a0 Again, this takes a mindset of understanding that we do not know it all and can benefit from other <\/strong>people.\u00a0 Having a teachable attitude allows us to grow much faster.\u00a0 It’s like adding fertilizer to the soil.\u00a0 People that grow are constantly reading and studying.\u00a0 Not only books, but people and situations.<\/li>\n
  4. Focus – <\/strong>We cannot drift or get distracted, or our growth will diminish.\u00a0 The more we can focus, the better the results will be.\u00a0 Distractions keep us from the important things that can bring about the best results.\u00a0 I must remove distractions that keep me from training, and then while I am training, I need to focus on my form and technique.<\/li>\n
  5. Accountability – <\/strong>Growth accelerates when someone watches.\u00a0 Trying to grow on our own is very difficult.\u00a0 Having a workout partner can keep me motivated.\u00a0 Allowing someone to ask hard questions on a regular basis keeps me on track.\u00a0 We should not try to go it alone, find some trustworthy, reliable people to help on the journey.<\/li>\n
  6. Application – <\/strong>Growth really happens when we practice what we know.\u00a0 If all I do is study about how to run a marathon, I will never run a marathon.\u00a0 I have to actually go out and do what I have learned.\u00a0 Growing spiritually, emotionally, and relationally is the same way.\u00a0 If I want to improve my marriage I have to actually practice speaking my wife’s love language on a regular basis.\u00a0 If I want to get closer to God I have to actually talk to him and read the Bible in order to connect with Him and understand Him.\u00a0 If I want healthy relationships I have to practice forgiveness.<\/li>\n
  7. Gratitude – <\/strong>This is all about having the right attitude.\u00a0 Giving joyful thanks for the past blessings and growth.\u00a0 A grateful heart is a humble heart and that is fertile soil for growth to happen.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    So what area do you want to grow in?\u00a0 If it’s your marriage, then think about what your next step needs to be in order to grow in that area of your life.\u00a0 Think in next steps, what step do I need to take in order to be a better husband?\u00a0 What step do I need to take in order to be a better father?\u00a0 What step do I need to take in order to be a better leader?\u00a0 It might be reading a book, it might be eliminating some distractions, it might be finding an accountability partner or two, it might be actually putting into practice some things you already know, it might be having a more grateful attitude.\u00a0 As we take these small steps it leads to growth and change.\u00a0 Again, this does not happen overnight, but over a lifetime.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Spiritual growth doesn’t just happen, any more than running a marathon “just happens.”\u00a0 You don’t wake up one day and go run a marathon.\u00a0 It takes months of training and preparation.\u00a0 Growth results from hard work.\u00a0 The harder you train and prepare the better you will do in the race. As I have been training … <\/p>\n

    Continue reading “7 Things That Must Happen for Growth to Occur”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,10,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-change","category-personal-growth","category-spiritual-growth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadstutzman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadstutzman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadstutzman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadstutzman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadstutzman.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=548"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chadstutzman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/548\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadstutzman.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadstutzman.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadstutzman.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}