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Most little kids I know are anxious to grow. They are regularly comparing themselves to others, standing against the ruler on the wall, or asking their parents if they are any taller. They are eager to demonstrate that all those glasses of milk and nights of eating their vegetables are doing their job as they slowly inch closer to their full height.

Yet if you ask a kid how to grow, there is little instructive advice that they could give you. They might refer to the aforementioned milk and veggies but other than that they don’t know how to make themselves any taller, their eagerness to do so not withstanding. They may want to notch up inches on their wall ruler as much as their compatriots, but regardless of how they focus their energies or the frequency with which they measure their height, they simply don’t know what they can do in order to enable their growth.

Thankfully, the same is not true in our Christian life. Much like children have a tenacious focus on growth, so should those who follow after Jesus. Except our growth should not be calculated by a ruler but by the proximity between the life we live and the life that God calls us to, the life of Christ. We should not be concerned with how tall we are, but the degree to which our life reflects our Savior – not just in our external actions, but in our heart and motivations as well. Our whole life should increasingly be more like His; that is what growth in the Christian life is.

But how do we grow? How do we engage in this process of sanctification (becoming more holy, i.e. more like Christ)? A 1980 sermon by John Piper may prove helpful in our understanding. In the course of explaining what a rational argument is (as opposed to a heated discussion or insatiable haggling), he provides the following example of one:

1) God sanctifies His people by the Truth. (John 17:17)

2) God’s Word is Truth. (John 17:17)

3) Therefore, “we should give ourselves heartily to the Word for our sanctification.”

It’s a simple presentation of an issue that so many Christians ponder and debate. Growth in the Christian life requires the application of God’s Word to our lives. As we commit to follow its commands and to live a life in keeping with its teaching, we will grow in our walk with God.

There may not be much that a child can do to inch their way towards their desired height. As Christians though let us rejoice in the fact that because God’s Word is ” living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart”  (Heb 4:12), it will always prove faithful in revealing areas in our life where growth is needed. And let us remain grateful that God is at work in us “to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13) enabling us to grow in Him.

There is much in this life that causes anguish:

• A favorite sports team loses in the championship;
• We misplace a prized possession;
• Someone that we care about treats us poorly.

The list could go on.

Talk to any given person during the day (or simply read a collection of Facebook statuses), and it is easy to see that we are prone to hurt feelings, disappointment and declarations of broken hearts. Even people who declare that they aren’t the “touchy-feeling” type are still likely to vent their angst when things don’t go as they desire.

Yet in all of this I find myself wondering if the things that we treasure and the disappointments that we concern ourselves with are the same things that Christ would focus on if He was walking this Earth.

After all, when He did walk this Earth, His sadness is recorded twice. Once, when His good friend dies He weeps as He sees the sadness of those who grieve the loss.  In his commentary John MacArthur writes, “His tears here were not generated out of mourning, since He was to raise Lazarus, but out of grief for a fallen world entangled in sin-caused sorrow and death” (p. 1396).Secondly, Christ cries as He looks out upon Jerusalem and reflects on their unbelieving hearts (Luke 19:41-44). When people persecuted Him, we don’t see Him feeling sorry for Himself. When His disciples walk away, we don’t read a record of His tears. Instead His heart breaks for the toll of sin and for those who don’t believe in Him.

It’s a convicting realization. Claiming to treasure Jesus above all else means treasuring the things that He does. Yet too often my disappointment and tears reveals that  my heart is not broken by the consequences of sin and for the loss of this world, but instead by  my own priorities and concerns.

In Hillsong United’s song “Hosanna”  the artists sing, “Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Everything I am for Your Kingdom’s cause. As I walk from Earth into eternity.”

May increasingly the cry of our hearts echo these words.

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