Growth is Pressing Through
James 1:4 — So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
Sometimes growth hurts in ways you’d never expect.
I’m sitting in the pediatric office with Lennox, trying to look calm while he squirms in my arms. He’s here for a follow-up on a little ear infection. The nurse checks him. The doctor does too, and everything seems fine. No fluid. No infection. Still, he keeps tugging at his ears like they’re bothering him.
I frown. “Well, if there’s nothing wrong with his ears, what is going on?”
The doctor smiles and keeps investigating. She shines her little magical flashlight in his mouth, tilts her head, and says, “Oh… yep. His top teeth are super swollen. They are about to break through.”
I try to picture what that even looks like. Teeth? Ear pain? How is that connected?
She laughs at my expression. “A lot of times, that will cause pain in the ears,” she explains.
I nod slowly, the dots connecting. It’s in his mouth, but it’s pulling at his ears. Growth in one part of his body is actually having a ripple effect outward to other parts of his body.
I sit back and think, quietly, “Okay, Lord. I see it now.”
Sometimes that’s how spiritual growth feels like too. For example, if God starts to grow us in patience, He might challenge us to swallow our pride and love difficult people. But take heart. James 1:4 says, “So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”
Just like Lennox’s teeth, the Lord is working in places we might not expect. Patience grows, but it can tug at our thoughts, our moods, and our reactions. Love stretches us, but sometimes that stretching feels tight in our hearts or minds. The discomfort isn’t random. The tugging isn’t accidental. It’s proof that change is happening, slow and steady, shaping us into completeness we can’t yet see.
I watch Lennox chew on his finger, ears still a little red, and I realize—in life we have to trust the process, even when we don’t understand the discomfort. The tugging doesn’t mean we’re broken. It means something is pushing through, and once it’s fully in place, the rest will make sense.
So maybe the question isn’t why it hurts. Maybe it’s whether we notice the places we’re growing, the small ripples of change that touch everything else in our lives. And if we do? Then maybe we can smile, just a little, knowing that the tugging, the stretching, and the small irritations are all part of becoming more complete, whole, and like Him.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
- Where in your life do you feel discomfort that might actually be connected to growth God is doing beneath the surface?
- Have you ever noticed how growth in one area of your life affects other parts—your thoughts, emotions, or relationships?
- What does it look like for you to “let it grow,” even when the process feels inconvenient or uncomfortable?
- How does James 1:4 encourage you to trust God’s work in you, even when you don’t yet see the full result?
