The Cost of Growth

There is a price to pay. Becoming a man of strength and goodness will not simply be given to us.

Photo by A L L E F . V I N I C I U S Δ on Unsplash

We must pay the price of our time, our comfort, and our pride to live as the true sons of God.

Time

It takes time to grow. As much as we would like change to happen overnight, this is not the way things work.

It will take much more than a quick podcast, a book, or a workshop to grow into our fullness. These are all helpful tools, but it takes years of practice to fully embrace all God has for us.

Many guys look for one quick fix after another, but there is no shortcut to growth.

We must invest intentional time toward our maturity or we simply grow older and not wiser.

Comfort

Growth is disruptive. It shakes us out of our comfort zones. The familiar no longer satisfies and we must enter into the unknown.

But this holds many of us back. What will be required of me? What will I discover?

To grow we must often face the ugly and undone parts of our story we much rather keep hidden. Likewise, growth requires us to offer our strength even in times of uncertainty and doubt.

We must embrace the cost of discomfort in order to become the men God has called us to be.

Pride

It’s ridiculous to spend time and effort to grow something that should come natural. And if I’ve lived this long without worrying about it, why do I need to pay attention to it now?

Pride holds many of us back from our potential. It is embarrassing to consider masculinity is something we must be taught and that we need others to help show us the way.

Growth requires us to let go of our pride – to humbly admit we do not have all the answers.

When our ego no longer gets the best of us, we can exercise true strength and no longer have to pretend or overcompensate.

Growth into the fullness of our manhood comes with a cost. We must pay with our time, comfort, and pride. But the life and goodness that comes as a result is worth every cost.

Don’t shortchange your manhood. Count the cost and make a difference in the world around you.