We’ve all experienced it; a time to grow up!  Whether it was physical, emotional or spiritual in nature, we’ve all encountered a time when our body, mind or spirit needed to grow and mature. In fact, it’s this growth process that allows us to become fully who we are intended to be and ultimately experience God’s best.  In my journey home to the Garden this process would entail the crossing over from being a childish boy to being a childlike man.  Let me explain.

The journey back home to the Garden requires us to be transformed from what we are to what we can be.  Maturity (growing up) plays a big role in this transformation as it helps to mold us into that image of Himself that He so much desires for us to possess. And so, just as our bodies grow and mature physically through life, our souls must also grow and mature spiritually so that we can embrace everything that God has in store.  As I’ve talked about in previous blogs, brokenness- that is the conforming of our will to God’s- is the key that unlocks the door to spiritual growth. Brokenness breeds maturity as it works to renew of our minds, heal our emotions and grow us up so that we can become the childlike man (or woman) that God wants us to be.

But as with the pursuit of all good things there are always obstacles to be overcome, growing up and becoming a childlike man or woman is no different.  You see, the process of maturity and growing up has an arch enemy, and its name is “Root Bound”. Root Bound is a horticultural term that describes a condition whereby a growing plant is stuck in a pot that is too small and therefore cannot grow.  Its roots lack the space needed to expand and develop, therefore leaving the plant stunted and in jeopardy of dying. To remedy this life threatening situation, the plant must be uprooted (a sometimes painful process) and placed in a temporary pot of water while its roots stretch out and heal from its prior prison. After regaining its health it can be replanted into its new larger pot where it can grow and reach its full glory.   

You get the analogy right!  We, like plants, also get root bound and stunted in our growth, and therefore must be uprooted so that we can grow and mature and reach our full potential.  Let me share a story from my life that will help to illustrate this point. For twenty five years or so I was root bound in Atlanta.  I had some successes in various areas of my life but struggled to grow and mature as a person.  Unfortunately, I had reached the limits of my development. So, unbeknownst to me, God was preparing to uproot me from Atlanta and place me in a temporary pot (Wrightsville Beach, a tiny island off the coast of North Carolina).  I would spend the next year alone stretching my roots, healing from my former prior prison, and relearning the all too important lesson of relying on God, rather than depending on self. So after about 12 months, God took me out of this temporary pot and replanted me in Gainesville, GA where I am growing, maturing and striving to reach my full glory. 

Looking back, it never fails to amaze me how God will grow us up by taking us out of our root bound pots with all its apparent comforts and safety nets in order to teach and mature us to become fully dependent on Him. It is no exaggeration to say that God uprooted my life both geographically and relationally, as I was forced to leave the place and people I had for so long relied on for meaning, direction and self-worth.  The repotting process meant new vistas, new relationships and most importantly a new found reliance on God.  It also defined my crossing from a being a childish boy to being a childlike man, which continues to this day!

My challenge for you today, my brothers and sisters, is for you to also embark on this crossing and not fear the repotting that God may have in store.  As we have learned on many levels this past year, it is a time to grow up, leave the immaturity behind and become the childlike men and women He desires us to be.  Our individual and collective futures require nothing less!

Dario L. Perla