Grow |grō| verb

Undergo natural development by increasing in size and changing physically; progress to maturity.

When you read the definition of grow, you see a few keen words; development, changing, and progress. Each one of those words talks about growing. Developing is a cause to grow and mature. Changing is to make or become different. And progress is to move forward. We mature and become a new person over time because of things we've had to go through and move on to a new chapter.

I went to the Passion Conference in 2020, and man, did it change everything. God showed me so much while I was there and showed me even more when I came home afterwards. And once I had some time with God the first night after Passion Conference 2020, He told me my word for 2020 would be grow.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t thrilled about that word at all. Growing means there's rain and pruning; you have to get the weeds out and endure storms. But as I started to study the word grow, I learned there is beauty inside it. We grow your roots down deep so we can get stronger; we have sunshine through and after stormy days, and we have an amazing gardener who takes great care of us. You guessed it! That gardener is God.

There is a parable in the Bible that talks about a farmer and his scattering of his seeds. Some seeds fell onto a footpath and were trampled on, some fell among rocks, others fell among thorns, and the last fell among fertile soil. Jesus then shares what the parable means to his disciples in Luke 8:11-15.

“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.”

2019 was not a great year for me as I had lost so much. I was hoping for 2020 to be a year of blessing and wonders. So when the word grow was placed on my heart, I was scared. I asked God, “why? I just endured a year of trials and suffering. Why can’t this year be the year of blessings?” I would cry constantly and honestly yell at God. I wasn’t in the best place with Him. But God knows exactly what we need to become who He calls us to be. He knows everything we need to go through and when it will happen.

I had lost my trust in Him in 2019. My faith started to wither away. The seed that was planted in my heart felt like it was dying. God knew that I needed to grow in 2020. I knew that my life wasn’t right without Him. God and I both knew each of us weren’t giving up on our relationship. I would do anything to feel that close to Him like I did before.

That is what I hope for you. I hope He waters the seed in your heart and for you to long for that relationship with Him; that it would give you a boost to try to pursue Him. I pray He shows you a way out of your pit, and I pray you don’t lose sight of who your Gardener truly is.

I love to use my life and testimony to help others. I've had to go through some tough things I wouldn't wish on anyone. In just 25 years of life, I’ve had so much pain mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. So if I can prevent or even help someone get out of similar situations, I will do my best. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and we are called to help each other. Jesus didn’t save the perfect... He came to save the broken and un-perfect people. And if you look around, we all need help growing the seed that has been planted in our hearts.

“Then Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians‬ ‭3:17-19

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2:6-7‬ ‭

Whitney Webb is a strong listener and longs to help others. She received her associates of arts from from John Brown University and is working towards her bachelors of psychology from John Brown University as well, with a dream of getting her masters in counseling. An Arkansas native, she is a lover of naps, ice cream, and beaches, currently writing a book on growing closer to God through life’s struggles.