Our growth is not going to come by our effort to improve ourselves. On the contrary, Jesus told His disciples the key to growth in the Kingdom is abiding in Him.
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. John 15:1-4
The above passage tells us that The Lord is the vinedresser and Jesus is the vine. This passage also teachs us about real growth, which is only possible by remaining in Jesus. A branch cannot independently seek water or nutrients. It only grows because it is connected to the vine. If we remain in the vine, who is Jesus, we are bound to grow.
God may prune certain things in a believer’s life, but the main objective is to make a believer more focused, fruitful, and make one more like Him. He determines what each branch needs to thrive and be healthy. The branch does not determine its need, neither can it fetch what it needs. The vinedresser is the expert, and He knows what He is doing.
We live in a culture where taking charge of our lives, education, and developing their careers are expected from people. However, that is not the way of the Kingdom. Our success comes from surrendering to God’s process. He determines the process and our job is to remain connected to the Lord and respond to Him by yielding to Him. Sometimes, we may not even know why we are going through a certain process, and we need to stop trying to figure it out.
One of the dangers of self-improvement is that people gain much head knowledge, but they are unable to accelerate their growth. They may have a fictitious sense of growth based on their self-effort to achieve it, but they cannot orchestrate the practical life experiences that develop character and true maturity. They may become talking heads sharing about what they have studied, but they do not have the three-dimensional depth that comes from the pain of growth.
Real growth comes when our minds and hearts have changed, which in turn impact our attitudes, speeches, and behaviors. Developing character and maturity is painful, and it brings about humility. On the other hand, head knowledge produces pride because the person has not experienced the pain associated with maturity and growth.
Furthermore, if we imagine the growth in God as an upward process, we will seek self-improvement as a way of life. When we are not having upward mobility for a few months or years, it will cause us to wonder if we are doing something wrong, which leads us to more self-improvement. This cycle of self-improvement has no end to it, and it has the potential to bring disappointment and disillusionment to a believer’s life.
Furthermore, the more we attempt to improve ourselves in certain areas, we begin to think others should also improve, so we begin making unsolicited recommendations and suggestions to others about fixing and improving their lives.
Are you on a self-improvement cycle? Is self-improvement something that is encouraged in your environment? Do you have a timetable of growth and development that causes frustration for you? What do you plan to do about it?