A friend asked me the other day about spiritual growth: “Do you reach a point where you say, ‘Great! I’ve made it.'” Answer, no. I know of no athlete or musician, for example, who isn’t always working to be a little bit better.

Growth is what happens when we practice the appropriate disciplines over time. And growth is always appropriate to where we are at the time. For example, acceptable, even exemplary behavior for a 3-year-old might be inappropriate for a 10-year-old. But that doesn’t stop us from being proud of our 3-year-olds.

My recovery from knee surgery is a good example. I can’t “will” it to have the strength and range of motion that I want. But I can do what I’m supposed to do today, and I see improvement nearly every day. For example, when riding my stationary bicycle, at first I just had to put the surgical leg out of the way so I could exercise the rest of me. But later, with the seat raised two inches higher than normal, I gradually could go all the around with the surgical leg, slowly. Then a bit faster. Then a bit easier. Then with the seat only one inch higher than normal, etc. It’s encouraging to see the incremental improvement.

There’s no reason we can’t experience incremental growth in our spiritual lives as well. My friend Ron Bennett likes to tell the story of the first time he changed the oil in his cars without getting angry about something. It’s transformation, day by day, step by step.

And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. (Mark 4.26 – 28, ESV)

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3.18, NKJV)