Room to Grow

A few Sundays ago, after we got home from church, I spent some time transplanting my little tomato seedlings from their starter planters into bigger ones. They are still months away from transplanting into the soil, but they were getting choked in the starter trays I planted them in as seeds. As I did that simple activity, I spent some time thinking about how God sometimes has to take us out of comfortable situations into bigger, more challenging situations just to give us more room to grow.

After I transplanted them, the tomato seedlings looked so small in their new homes, but as the gardener, I knew that those were just the spaces they needed to mature, get nutrients, and grow as they should. Similarly, when God puts us in those "bigger spaces", it almost feels like we have been thrown in the middle of the ocean, it feels like we will drown and will not be able to survive in our new “home”. But that's not it at all. God knows (like I did for those little tomato seedlings) that if we remain in our present state, we will, in no time, run out of space, get choked up and begin to decline rapidly. He knows that we need space; we need room to grow, and so He increases our capacity for more. And to do that, He takes us out into uncomfortable situations and environments. He introduces us to something new, something unfamiliar, sometimes, something unpleasant. And like my tomato seedlings, it will take a while to adjust, we will feel out of place for a bit, our roots will need to get settled in that soil, we will need to drink up nutrients, learn the new environment, receive sunlight, soak in water, etc., and it will not feel comfortable. However, in no time, we will begin to realize, “This is just the right place for me. This is home. I am growing. I am stretching, I am right where I am meant to be.”

Like every plant in the garden or farm, uprooting, transplanting, pruning, etc. do not feel comfortable or fun, but is necessary. God will never leave us to rot or decay or get choked in our present circumstances, just because He does not want us to feel uneasy. He knows that there is more that you can be; that there is more of Himself that He can pour into you. He knows that there are potentials that you can reach and heights you can attain that your present environment will not support. And because He knows these, He will do whatever is necessary to grow you, shape you, remold you, transform you, bring out the best in you. He will uproot you from friendships, locations, routines, jobs, career paths, sometimes, churches (are you surprised?), etc. In the words of Max Lucado, “God loves you just the way you are, but refuses to leave you that way.” He will do whatever it will take for you to live out the purpose that He had in mind when He created you.

So, are you going to let Him? Are you ready for more?

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