"We know what we are, but know not what we may be." ~ William Shakespeare
On 6 Jul 2022, we released our first Podcast episode and it was called: The Power of Growth. Growing is something that we all take for granted. When we were children we grew but we did not pay much attention to our own growth, we kind of...just lived life. Every now and again we would enter a new phase of our growth and we would realise that we are not the same anymore, but then life goes on. However, we cannot rely on this natural growth as grownups. Natural growth can only take us so far...
Growth is a process of work, we don’t wake up in the morning and have everything we want without doing or following a certain process. A baby comes to this world very small but by the process of eating well, sleeping well, etc the baby will grow. We can call this the first stage because at this stage the baby is not conscious of his growth but the parents are conscious, they know what to do for the baby so that he/she may grow. The second stage is when the baby grows up and starts to see his potential, knows his responsibility, and therefore he can grow purposefully. Unfortunately, most people do not progress from the first stage to the second, they remain unaware of their potential, uninspired to focus and grow, and unwilling to take responsibility for their own lives.
This is a great problem for all of us. We get stuck with the man in the mirror, we measure and calculate only based on where we are now, but we do not take into consideration who we can become. One of my favourite characters in the Bible is Peter the disciple of Jesus. The first time when Peter met Jesus he freaked out because he realized that Jesus is not just a normal person. So he told Jesus to go away from him because he was just a sinful (and sin-loving) man. But Jesus told Peter “Do not be afraid, for I will make you a fisher of men”. Peter looked at himself and saw who he was at that moment (Just a seed) but Jesus look at Peter and saw what he will become (a great tree).
The seeds that we sow into the ground are different from the fruits that we pluck down from the trees. Yet, the seed became the tree and the tree produced the fruit. What was sown is not the same as what came up, but the tree and the seed are the same things. Growth is what turned the seed into a tree and growth is what made the tree bear fruit. If we look at the seed we might not think much of it. If you look at the small tree you might think of it as weak and fragile. It is hard to imagine that that tiny seed and that weak baby tree will one day feed your family and be home to countless species of animals and life. One day you will be able to climb that tree and view the world from the height of its branches that reach up to heaven.
When you look at the seed you don’t see much. But contained in that seed is the potential of a tree. The only thing needed for that potential to be realized is growth. The process of growth is one of continual receiving and changing.
You and I are like that seed. We have within us a great amount of potential. That is how we were created. Everything is right here, but it requires growth to be released and to take shape. Sadly most people don’t realize that they have so much more that they can be and give. They look to themselves and only see a seed, or a small tree, and then do not think much about themselves and even disregard themselves because they measure their worth based on their current form.
When you pick up a new instrument like a guitar or a drum, you might not think much of it. The sound that the instrument is producing is directly proportionate to your ability to play the instrument. So you might say the instrument is useless, when in fact you are the useless one in the equation. The instrument’s potential is there, and so is yours, but it cannot be what it was made to be unless you grow. As you grow, your ability to use the instrument will improve and the sound that the instrument produces will become increasingly beautiful. The instrument is not the thing that needs growth… you are the one that needs growth. Life is the same… there are many things in life that you think are broken or useless because they are producing an unclear or even terrible sound. Life is not the problem… the one who is wielding the instrument is. Grow and you will realize the beautiful sound that life can produce through you, not only for you but also for those that hear you play (live).
The beauty of growth is the realized potential of a person. Growth is uncomfortable, but it is beautiful and necessary. Do not base your self-value on where you are today. Realize that you can change and that you have so much more potential.
