New growth isn’t always pretty.  Look at this bush.  All those fresh little leaves do not make the bush attractive.  In fact it makes it look a little unruly.  However, without the new growth each year, the bush would stagnate and eventually die.

This can also be true in the church world.  Sometimes when a church is going through a transition and growth period, it can get quite ugly.  Change is good.  In fact the only thing that never changes is God.  Without change and growth a church will wither and die.  They may keep holding services,  but they will no longer be effective.  They will be going through the motions of being a church, but there will be no anointing or power.

When leadership changes,  when new programs are started, when new families come in the church, when the focus of a church’s mission is adjusted;  people get uncomfortable.  There is always the fear of the unknown.  We wonder where we will fit in the new flow of things.  But growth and change are good things.

In our personal lives the same is true.  When God is stretching us or leading us into new areas of ministry, we get uncomfortable.  We can be cranky.  We can be short-tempered.  Our leaves do not look very attractive.  But growth still must come.  When we stop learning and growing, we will become ineffective.   I have heard it said that Christians cannot just stand still.  If you aren’t moving forward, you will soon move backwards.

Of course, there are times when we must pause and wait for direction from the Lord.  Situations where God says, “Having done all, stand.”  I’m not referring to these kinds of brief interludes.  Here we really aren’t stopped, we are just refocused to finding a solution to our current circumstances.

So let’s learn to tolerate the off colored leaves, knowing that they will soon blend in with the whole bush.  Let’s encourage one another through our seasons of growth, instead of grumbling.  We all need to grow, so let’s help each other to that next level of maturity.