Growth

 Last year around this time, I wrote about how 2021 had been a year of learning. I said, “2021 has been a year of learning for me. Learning to trust, learning to let go, learning how to grieve with Christ’s hope, and learning how to have grace on myself while walking through these journeys.“

This time last year I had no clue what 2022 would be like for me. If I had to assign a word to its experiences as I did last year, I’d choose growth. Not only because I’ve grown through what I’d coined as the year of learning. But I’ve also become more aware of the growth in others as well as myself. 

Growth in character, in the understanding of The Word, in willingness to learn new things, and more. 

Training myself to recognize growth in others takes practice for me. It’s one of those things that usually requires me to sit back and observe without saying anything at all, instead of my default. AKA get up and go extroverted self. However, it’s one of the most rewarding things that are 100% worth the time it takes. 

I’ve heard it said that it takes around 200x of a repeated thought pattern for a thought to take root as a belief. Seeing growth in others and pointing it out can help replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Making an all-around more enjoyable environment for everyone who comes in contact with you — That’s something that we all should aim towards. 

We might not see the result of doing so right from the beginning and that’s okay. That’s the way it is with plenty of things in life. Sometimes, it’s the process that brings the most growth & joy. ✨