4 minute read
The other day I realized there were a lot of things swirling around in my life.
Things at work, things in my personal life, family, friendships, things in the various things I’m pursuing…
And I couldn’t get a clear sense of what was going on.
It felt like a lot of chaos.
I also found that I kept defaulting to “survival mode.” You know those times when you’re just doing whatever’s necessary to keep too many plates from spinning off their poles, too many bolts from falling off the machine, too many people from being let down.
But I realized that though it’s been a hard season… it could also be a productive one.
I believe every season can be productive.
I really believe God can use every time of my life to craft something good in me, grow something good in me, and help my character mature so I’m more the man I’m meant to be.
So, in a moment of calm, quiet, and clarity… I asked God a question.
The question I asked Him was simple… straightforward… and sincere.
I asked God, “God, what are you wanting to grow in me through all of this?”
I know… it’s not the most stunning, crazy, inventive, insightful question in the world…
But I’ve found that when I ask God that question—“What are you wanting to grow in me through all of this?”—good things happen.
*****
So, what happened next?
Well, what happens normally after you ask someone a question?
You listen.
(Otherwise it’s not really a question. It’s one of those annoying rhetorical questions that no one likes to be asked but many speakers like to deliver.)
After I asked God, “What are you wanting to grow in me through all of this?” I got quiet… and I listened.
I listened for a few minutes.
And you know what I heard?
Nothing.
Honestly… nothing.
But I’ve been walking with God long enough to know that He doesn’t always (though He does sometimes) answer me right away.
That doesn’t mean I’m supposed to quit asking… or quit listening.
So a couple days later I asked again.
And I listened and…
You know what?
I felt like God answered me.
I felt like I got a single word… just sort of impressed on me… like a thought that came into my mind but didn’t seem to originate from there.
I felt like God told me what He was wanting to grow in me in this time.
*****
The benefit of knowing what God’s wanting to grow in me in this season isn’t just the joy of knowledge.
It’s having something I can come back to over and over again… so I can pray and ask God to keep growing that thing inside of me…
It means I have a lens through which I can look at every thing that happens in my life, keeping an eye out for how it—and my response to it—can possibly help that thing grow up in me.
That answer gives me direction for what I read, what I study, what I listen closely to, where I take my eyes… all in an effort to discover steps I can take, things I can do, things I can not do… just to grow that good thing.
*****
I’m throwing out a challenge to you, Person Reading This.
I’d like to challenge you to…
Take a look at your life. Consider all that’s going on. I have a strong feeling there’s probably some chaos… some stress… some concerns… some challenges… some worries…
Whatever’s going on in your life, think about it for a moment.
Maybe a long moment.
Then… calm your brain…
And, very simply, ask God this question:
God, what are you wanting to grow in me through all of this?
Because He is wanting to grow something in you through all that’s going on.
And then I hope you’ll listen. Really listen.
And if you don’t hear anything at first… keep listening… and ask again… and listen some more… and ask again, etc.
Press in until you hear that thing from God.
Don’t worry about getting it “right” or “wrong,” by the way. You may get it wrong. Oh well. Like a good, loving, gracious, generous Daddy, He loves when we try to hear His voice.
Then, when you get that thing… when you hear from God what He’s wanting to grow in you…
Write it down. In a journal… on your knuckles… across your bathroom mirror…
Then… keep an eye out. Open your ears. Listen and look… and discover ways God’s using the situations in your life to grow that good thing in you…
Then, join Him in that good work.
*****
Final thing… if you do hear something from God about what He’s growing in you… would you reach out to me and tell me? All you have to do is right a single word if you want. I’d love to know. You can get to me at—
In next week’s blog piece… I’ll share what God’s answer to me was…