GratefulSample

"My, how you've grown!"

It feels like that's the only expression people know how to say when they haven't seen us all year. They pinch our cheeks, ask us what grade we're in, make up some cheesy dad joke, and then comment about how tall we are this year (like we didn't know we grew a whole five inches). When we gather with people who haven't seen us in a while, they can recognize our growth based on appearance, but what about your spiritual growth?

You see, we don't grow in our faith for people to praise us. We grow because of the work the Holy Spirit does in our hearts. That's the source, and that's our motivation. But the question remains – are people seeing the growth?

Maybe people aren't walking up to you and saying, "My, look at how much you've grown spiritually!" or, "Look at you showing the Fruit of the Spirit!"

But they're probably saying, "I really appreciate how patient you've been lately. That's a big change I've noticed."

Or, their acknowledgment could sound something more like, "Wow, you've been very quick to forgive people lately. Can you tell me what's sparked the change of perspective?"

Even when very little seems to be going right in the world, it's always a great idea to pause and be thankful for the work Jesus is doing in us and through us.