All of us know people who have stopped growing–perhaps you even find yourself in that situation. It’s not that people wake up one day and declare they are finished growing. Rather, they slowly slip into a state of mediocrity. As the world around them changes, they hold on to the safety of their well-worn methods, assumptions, and attitudes toward life. They hit cruise control at work, doing only enough to keep their job. They become resistant to change at church, protecting turf rather than embracing God-breathed vision. In essence, they are equipped for irrelevance.
Eric Hoffer once wrote, “In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” When we stop growing, we slowly become irrelevant to the world around us. Rather than equipping ourselves with new insights, fresh learnings, and best practices, we retreat to the world as we’ve always known it. Unfortunately, that world is evaporating and our influence for good is disappearing with it. Have you stopped growing? Are you slowly becoming irrelevant because you are married to outdated methods, assumptions, ideas, and practices? Embrace God-breathed vision. Begin reading. Challenge your assumptions. Force yourself outside your comfortable routine. Grow!
