The Experiences in Life That Have Helped Me Grow

Daily writing promptWhat experiences in life helped you grow the most?View all responses

Many experiences in life have helped me grow. Most of them are ongoing experiences (not just once and done) and they continue to this day. I will list them in no particular order:

Writing: I love expressing myself through writing. I blog almost every day and have written six books. Pondering about life: I have always been a deep thinker and pondered the purpose and meaning of life.Being playful and cheerful: Although I am serious about life, I also greatly enjoy it. Innocent silliness and laughter make growth a pleasure for me.Having friendly conversations: Hearing diverse viewpoints about life has greatly broadened my horizons. I’ve grown so much from listen to and making friends with people from various ethnic groups, nations, races, political persuasions, lifestyles, religions, and cultures.Fighting the good fight: I have been consistently resisting, rejecting, and refuting negative thoughts and attitudes since I was a child.Overcoming bad habits: Every time I overcome a bad habit, that experience helps me grow.Forming positive, helpful habits: The more I cultivate and develop beneficial habits, the more I grow.Affirmations: I have repeated positive affirmations (both in my mind and out loud) an astonishing number of times. Reading: All my adult life I have devoured, savored, and absorbed uplifting books about personal and spiritual growth.Collecting quotations: I have filled 33 blank journal books with handwritten quotations from the multitudes of books I have read. Avoiding negative input: Monitoring my media intake helps me avoid the personal and spiritual growth inhibitors that are so widespread in contemporary society. Being married: My wife who strives to grow personally and spiritually as much as I do has loved me greatly and helped me grow more than words can say.Having and raising a daughter (who I love dearly) through all the ups and downs.Meeting the living Jesus: I had a personal encounter with Christ when I was 19 and have never been the same. (Read the prayer on the top right of this blog’s home page.)Reading, absorbing, and implementing the Bible: I’ve read, soaked up, and tried to live out the Bible almost every day since I was 19.Communicating with Jesus: I have been talking, listening to, worshipping, and striving to obey Jesus throughout each day, also since I was 19.Praying in tongues: I have been supernaturally praying in languages I don’t know since I was 20. They instantly make me intimately aware of Christ’s presence, power, love, and reality. The moment I received this gift from God was one of the most powerful moments in my life. Confessing: I confess to and ask for forgiveness from God when I say or do wrong (and anyone else I mistreat). Forgiving: I forgive people every time I am wronged. Once God told me to think of everyone who has done me wrong and to forgive them and ask Him to bless them. I was amazed at the number of people who came across my mind to be forgiven and blessed. Now I forgive and ask God to bless people immediately when they do me wrong. Experiencing, pain, rejection, disappointments, humiliation, financial struggles, and utter brokenness: Some of my most difficult experiences have caused me to grow the most.Heart-connection and accountability with other passionate Christ-followers: The love, support, and spiritual interaction that I have had with so many beautiful Jesus-lovers has been invaluable to my personal and spiritual growth. (You know who you are. Thank you so much!)Accepting the gift of tears: All my life I have been easily moved to tears, but “men aren’t supposed to cry.” I always tried to stop my tears or at least hide them. Then I read in the Philokalia (a collection of writings from ancient Orthodox monks) that tender tears are a gift from God. Quenching them is actually quenching the Holy Spirit. The more I freely let Spirit-released tears flow, the more I grow.Being led by the Spirit: Surrendering my opinions, feelings, and desires to Christ who lives in me and letting Him continually lead me by His Spirit is a wonderful way to live. Gathering in Spirit-led ekklesia: Meeting with other Christians in a Christ-led townhall format where anyone can speak as they feel prompted by the Spirit helps me grow every time that I experience it. Unfortunately, it is hard to find Christians who are willing to go beyond the traditional church format and meet like that. Never-the-less my wife and I frequently find ways to meet with each other and with other with people in a Spirit-led open forum format.

These experiences and behaviors come from deep within me. They aren’t just self-help or self-effort. They are truly the grace of God. I am eternally grateful that He has invited me and empowered me to experience personal and spiritual growth day after day.

Here are a few more experiences that have changed my life and helped me to grow:

Being part of a group of “Jesus Freaks” who were living sold-out, Spirit-led lives while I was in college. Selling Black History books door-to-door during the summers while I was in college and getting to know amazing black people in an open heart-to-heart way.Spending three months in India teaching heart-felt theology to a group of young preachers and experiencing spontaneous passionate prayer with them three times a day. One of them was later murdered for his faith in a small Hindu village. Being a white pastor in a black denomination for about three years. Being the chaplain and counselor for an 86-bed free alcohol and drug rehab facility with The Salvation Army.My wife and I overseeing a multi-racial, Spirit-led, open-mic congregation in inner-city Nashville with The Salvation Army for 10 years. Attending a Spanish language immersion school in Costa Rica for two weeks and when asked how I had been learning Spanish being able to tell people that I read the Bible every night in Spanish. This led to many opportunities to tell people about Jesus. [image error]Pexels.com" data-medium-file="https://hopethoughts.com/wp-content/u..." data-large-file="https://hopethoughts.com/wp-content/u..." src="https://hopethoughts.com/wp-content/u..." alt="" class="wp-image-42822" />Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com