Carrie Baker – The Growth Collective

This one’s for anyone who feels restless, stuck, or ready to walk away.

Let me ask you a question: Are you thriving and growing in life, right where you are? And if not – do you know the reason?  I can help you with that… because I think I know why.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7–8 NIV

As this verse tells us, it matters where you are planted, and what you need to flourish. When we are planted in the Lord, we are growing spiritually. But sometimes our outer life isn’t doing as well.

At the writing of this blog post, I am procrastinating over repotting a plant that desperately needs it. The reason I keep putting it off, is because it’s a big job due to the size of it! (A large parlour palm in case you were wondering.) 

It’s been a while since it was last done, the soil is probably depleted, but worse, the roots need more room and more soil to really thrive.

If I am being honest with you, ‘Big Boy’ hasn’t been thriving for a little while and I feel terrible about it. The tell-tale signs are all there; yellow and dead leaves, poor water absorption, and looking generally droopy most of the time.

As always, my plants teach me so many life lessons. I love how the Lord uses His creation through the natural world around us, to teach us so many things, gently and lovingly pointing out the parts of our life that needs change.

Let’s come back to my question at the beginning: Are you thriving and growing in your life, where you are right now?  

And if not, the reason might be something to do with the soil of your life. 

How Is Your Soil?

For a houseplant, it’s important that they are planted in the right soil for the nutrients they need, the right amount of soil, and also positioned in the right place.

As people, we also need to be in the right environment to grow, because we are impacted by whatever feeds into our life. Often we allow ourselves to be surrounded by good things that bring us life, some are neutral in their input in our life, but some things take away from it and deplete us. 

Let’s Reflect

So let’s take a moment to ask some questions, and if you are like me, go and get your journal so you can spend some time over them: 

• What are you allowing your life to be surrounded by? 
• What is your ‘soil’ made up of?
• What are you spending your free time doing?
• What are you reading?
• What are you watching?
• What are you listening to?
• Who are the people you spend your time with? 
• Who do you allow to speak into your life?
• What are the things you do, that grow you?
• What are you letting your thoughts to dwell on?
• What are the things you talk to others about?
• What kinds of words are you speaking to others and over yourself?

Let’s look at what categories your answer from the above list, fall into : 

• What things can you do more of, that will give life and cause you to flourish?
• What are you allowing into your life that doesn’t actually add any value?
• What are the things that deplete you?

The reason I want you to be honest and acknowledge where you are at, is because you can’t change what you’re not aware of.

Do You Need a Small Change Or a Big One?

Life happens. 

We get into comfortable routines or rhythms that work for the season we’re in.

We can get stuck in the way we live our daily life. 

We get tired and sometimes make choices that aren’t necessarily bad, they’re just not always for our best. 

Maybe for you, your lack of thriving isn’t just about the quality of the soil (the things you allow into you life), it may be the size of the pot or even where you are positioned – just to keep with our houseplant analogy.

Maybe you need more space around you, or a change of situation. You are not designed to stay exactly where are right now, forever. We are called into new seasons as the Lord leads.

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Isaiah 43:19 NIV

I am thinking back to a season, where I began to feel like there was no capacity for me to grow in my role at work, and it drained me so much that I didn’t have to capacity to grow outside of it either. When I talked about it with someone I worked with, she said it was because I had outgrown my pot. As she said it I thought, ‘This is exactly how I feel!”.

I had grown beyond what my current situation could hold and it was really uncomfortable.

Before You Make a Rash Decision

BUT. Before I rushed to hand in my notice and run out the door, I acknowledged how I felt but I also did a self check-in.

I took the time to make sure that this was what I needed, I prayed about it a lot, and then I put things in place so that I could leave well.

If this is you, let me give you some questions to help you think about your own situation:

1. In your workplace, do you feel like you can take up more space or have you reached the limits of what is possible? Is there opportunity for you to grow or move within your role to try new things?
2. In your life outside of this, do you feel that you can grow where you are, or do you feel restricted? 
3. What are the limitations that are stopping you from growing? Is it a limiting belief or is it that it’s time for some kind of move – whether it’s big or small? (Before you run ahead of yourself and make some sudden big life decisions, start really small by making some little shifts where you can – right now.)
4. Does your home/ work space need a declutter or a rearrange? Sometimes our stuff can make us feel claustrophobic. Doing this can bring a freshness that makes change and growth possible. Or add a new / new to you piece of furniture or artwork that can breathe new life into your space to reflect a new season.
5. What can you change in your schedule or routine to give yourself more room to grow? Maybe there are things you committed to a while ago, that you no longer need to say yes to.
6. What can you change in the way you begin your day, or end it, that will give you more space and room to grow? What would it look like for your rhythms or routines to give you more space to grow?
7. Are there ways of thinking that you can work on? Sometimes when you aren’t paying attention to your thought-life, it can get a little off kilter. Thoughts can get stuck in a loop of negativity or seeing things through a certain filter. 

Doing a little check-in with your thought life, or inner dialogue is a good way to keep on top of this. Ask yourself questions like: Is this how it actually is, or is this just how it feels right now? I am stuck in a negative pattern of thinking? Do I need to practice gratitude more often? Do I need outside help from a professional?

Having a conversation with a trusted friend or a mentor, and asking for their thoughts can be helpful, before you go and make a big life change.

More than anything, you need to bring all these questions, thoughts and feelings before the Lord, ask Him to reveal the right way to move forward. 

The Lord is committed to your growth. Sometimes, that means He will repot you for a new season, or work WITH you to make changes needed, so you can flourish right where you are.

As you navigate your next right move, I pray that wisdom guides you, and the Holy Spirit gives you all you need to walk the path ahead.

Keep growing friend, 

Carrie x

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