Growing, Growing, Growing

When we stop growing we start dying! We should always be growing as long as we are living. It is quite problematic when our growth is stunted by the casual nature of a bad attitude. Sometimes we are hurt in one way or another and we simply give up on bettering ourselves and become satisfied with where we are. It's so easy to stop and to resign from the hustle and bustle of advancement because of the huge price tag that often comes with improving ourselves.

There should reside in our bosoms a burning flame that pushes us forward unrelentingly. We should have goals and dreams that are so compelling that every day is treasured as another opportunity to achieve them. This kind of burning enthusiasm is what kept our fore-parents laboring against the odds. It's what kept Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. on the front lines of the civil rights movement. It's what pushed President Obama to the highest office in the land. We too should have a fire in our bosoms that won't allow us to be satisfied with status quo.

Although times are tough and the challenges facing us are real, we cannot allow our inner flames to be extinguished. We must be able to look into the future and see ourselves bigger and better! The evidence of our growth should be apparent. To live is to learn and to learn is to grow. Every time we look back over our past and compare it to our present, we should see growth. Are you growing? Are you better now than you were a year ago? Our challenges afford us opportunities to grow. Look at your issues and concerns and see what lessons there are accompanying them. Don't call them problems, call them opportunities. That's what they are, opportunities to grow and to become a better person for yourself, others, and for God.

Pastor E.L. Branch