We’re blessed with a huge garden and a reasonably sized vegetable garden. Spring is in the air and that means there’s a lot of work to be done in the garden. I’m preparing the soil, pulling weeds, pruning trees and bushes, sowing seeds and planting out seedlings I’ve already grown inside our house. And all that work is focused on just one thing: growth.

Everything that’s planted is supposed to grow.

It’s a really simple principle. I’m pruning the rose bushes so they’ll grow strong and have beautiful flowers. I’m preparing the soil and make it loose so my carrots will grow big. I’m watering my seedlings daily so they’ll grow strong enough to be planted outside. I’m digging deep to pull out weeds so the roots of the ‘real’ flowers have room to grow deep. I’m doing everything I can to facilitate growth, because that’s what it’s all about in a garden.

Everything that’s planted is supposed to grow.

But it’s the same for us, isn’t it? God has planted you in the church or ministry you’re in right now and His goal for you is to grow as a person and as a leader. He doesn’t want you to produce just one or two apples, He wants you to produce abundant fruit. So are you growing right now, in leadership and in your relationship with God?

growth

Everything that’s planted is supposed to grow.

That means you too. So are you doing everything you can to facilitate growth for yourself? Are you making the right choices, doing those things that will help you produce fruit in your life? Here are some things you could do to promote growth for yourself:

Fertilize

Feed yourself with the Word of God to grow daily. Make reading your Bible your number one priority. Also: make time to read books. Today a reader, tomorrow a leader sounds like a cliché, but it’s true. If you want to grow as a leader, you have got to read, you’ve got to become a lifelong learner. If you’re not intentional about this, it’s never gonna happen so block a few hours each week to read.

Pull weeds

Stinging nettles are a big problem in our garden and they’re very hard to get rid of because they have deep roots that are widely spread out. If you want to get rid of them, you have to dig deep and really pull out each and every root. What sin keeps popping up in your life and is hindering your growth? What sins have you become too comfortable with? Pull them out, roots and all and get rid of them once and forever. Remember that weeds are far easier to pull out when they’re still small and the same goes for sins. Remain vigilant about sins in your life and pull them out as soon as you spot them. It will make room for some serious growth.

Prune

Accept that pruning is God’s way of preparing you for bigger growth. If you don’t prune certain trees or plants, they’ll put all their energy into developing beautiful leaves, rather then a lot of fruit. So God may decide to prune you, to take things away from you or allow hardships in your life to deal with. Rejoice in this season of pruning, for He’s preparing you to bear a lot of fruit later on!

Sow seeds

Sow the right habits in your life, those that honor God and help you do your work better. Every good habit starts with a simple decision to do the right thing. Having a daily quiet time, spending time in prayer, taking care of your body, eating right, having a Sabbath day, these are all habits that will help you produce fruit. What bad habits do you need to get rid, which habits are holding you back of and what good ones do you need to sow?

Plan

If I want to be able to harvest ripe tomatoes come August, I have to start prepping in March. I need to sow seeds indoors, plant out the strongest seedlings into bigger pots, acclimatize them to being outside, transplant them into the vegetable garden and then keep watering and pruning them to make sure they develop well. Growth is always intentional, always planned. It never ‘just happens’. If you want to grow, be intentional about it, plan it. What areas do you think you need to grow in? Define those and make a plan.

Everything that’s planted is supposed to grow. What will you do to grow right now where God has planted you?