YM Essentials: The One-Sentence Secret To Growth

I spend a lot of my life taking in information. So do you. It seems like much of the info I take in is aimed at improvement of some sort . . . 

• Improving some aspects of our ministries.
• Improving some aspect of our personal relationship with God. 
• Improving some aspect of our marriages and/or parenting. 
• Improving some aspect of our creative process.
• Improving some aspect of our careers or vocation.

And so on . . . 

Now, I’m a big believer in improvement in general, but especially in each of these previously mentioned areas. Complacency kills, especially when it comes to our faith. Improvement equals growth, and growth is good. But, if you’re like me, the push to grow can sometimes be overwhelming, especially if we’re focused on growing in a holistic way. 

How do I grow in my ministry effectiveness, my marriage, my personal life, and my faith? 

I’ll pass along a one-sentence solution God has been teaching me lately. I haven’t mastered it, by any means. But when you break "growth" down in this way, it's so much easier to handle. You see, growth in any major area is simply a product of countless small decisions. 

If we want to improve in any area of our lives, we simply must make the next right decision. 

Growth doesn’t happen by accident. Intentionality is the genesis of improvement. And when it comes to the many small decisions we make each day, if we're intentional about making the right choices, growth is the by-product.

Make the next right decision.

You want to grow in your faith? Make the next right decision. When faced with the decision to spend your ride to work listening to a morning talk show or having a time or prayer and reflection as you drive, choose God.

When faced with the next decision that impacts your ministry, make the right one, not the easy one or the popular one. 

When you find yourself in a situation where you must respond to your children, make the decision that's right for your child, not that makes you feel good, or that makes them happy.

If you have a chance to choose to meet your needs over the needs of your spouse, make the right decision. Choose to meet his or her needs.  

Do you have spare time at work that you often use to check Facebook or ESPN? Make the right decision. What your friends are doing on Facebook won’t help you grow in your vocation. But spending twenty minutes at a task that will make you more productive will. 

We need to grow as ministers. As Christ-followers. As spouses and parents. And as individuals. We can see the vision! We know where we want to go. Getting there doesn’t have to be overwhelming. The journey starts at intentionality. You get there by making the next right decision. And then the next. And the next. And so on.

You’ll get a chance to make your next right decision soon. Maybe you need to make it right now.

How will you choose?