I still have pictures of when I was so skinning that I was mistaken for an Ethiopian orphan! In my high school senior picture, I had two noses – the normal one between my eyes and the abnormal one beneath my chin. (We call it an “Adam’s Apple!) When I was drafted into the Army, at almost 22 years of age, I weighed 142 pounds! Since then, with a lot of praying (I have always prayed before I eat) and being married to Pastor Joane (who has helped me gain 100 pounds), I have grown intentionally! My skinny jeans are now called fatty pants! The Bible is plain that I can do very little to increase my height, but I have proven that I am in control of my girth (or maybe I just wish I could be in control)!

This kind of growth is not what I truly want to talk about! I wish to encourage each of us to grow in our influence. The easy path rarely includes growth. After all, growth of influence requires true discipline, but a life of ease always looks for shortcuts. However, when we want to make a difference in our influence, we must be willing to close the gap between us and our God-inspired dreams. That can only happen when we intentionally grow.

It is God’s desire that we grow in knowledge and understanding. Growth, as I understand it, is a lifelong journey, not a one-time event. We have never lived in an America which is so divided! We have those who claim that if we are of a different nationality, we are bigots, if we are a different color, we are raciest. If we love our wives, we are homophobic. If we are democrats, we are liberals and if republicans, we are conservatives! It seems that the majority of our world wants to place labels on us and force us to meet their expectations of what those labels mean to them. We live in very challenging times and to grow with intentionality in face of challenging times, we need to do at least two things.

First, we must cultivate a growth mindset. Growth begins with a mindset that is oriented toward learning and making changes. Some are only open to learning but are hesitant to making any significant necessary changes. Others are open to changes, but really don’t want to learn anything new.

Hardship and suffering are a normal part of life. When we are committed to growing in influence, we must have a commitment to learn and a willingness to make changes. C.S. Lewis once said, “God allows us to experience the low points of life in order to teach us lessons we could not learn any other way.”

An important question for each of us to answer is, do we have a growth mindset that will allow us to harvest those lessons that can be best learned in the middle of the difficulties of normal life.

Second, we must create a growth plan. Some of the most profound growth can only happen when we create a plan. A solid growth plan will answer four questions:
What are my true growth goals? Wishing thinking or an active imagination is not what we are asking about, but a true goal that will propel us toward a stated goal.
How will I reach my growth goals? What are the steps that we must take to realize our goal? Most of us will have to do research to understand the “how to’s” of growing our goals. This extra effort will be worth it!

Who will hold me accountable for my growth? Be very careful in that selection! Be certain that this accountability partner has our best interest in mind. This person might not even be a friend, but one who is willing to put in the hard work to see us move forward in our quest for God-inspired dreams.

When and how will I monitor my progress? My weight is easily monitored by a bathroom scale but growing my influence will take much more skill. This task will be as challenging as the University Class titled, “Tests and Measurement”!
By answering each question in a specific and measurable way, we can lay out a plan that will lead us to meaningful transformation.

Growth requires discipline, and discipline is its own form of difficulty. As the old saying goes, “We can live with the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.” Learn to treasure and even enjoy discipline for it will help us grow intentionally!