I believe there is genuine desire in each of us to grow personally in all areas of our lives. I came across this quote a number of weeks ago that really speaks into our ability to grow and will determine the speed at which we grow. It really resonated with me. “The degree to which a person can grow is directly proportional to the amount of truth they can accept about themselves without running away.”
Sometimes the hardest thing for us to face is the truth! And even harder is the truth about us personally. Each of us need people in our lives we trust who have the freedom and the ability to call out our very weaknesses without our going into level 10 defense mode. I remember one Sunday morning when the Lord changed my message at 3:00 AM and I put together what I sensed He was saying. When I came down off the platform after doing my best to communicate what I had heard earlier, Bonnie looked at me and “I don’t know Hon….. Not sure that went very well.” We were driving home later that day and I said it was surprising that a number of people shared with me that the Holy Spirit really spoke to them through the message. She responded, “I know, that is surprising.” I laughed and said, the Holy Spirit is amazing and takes our inabilities and still uses us.
I would hope that all of us as leaders could receive that type of input from our spouse and others. Her willingness to share her honest sense with me helped me grow and become a more effective speaker.
Read the quote again, “The degree to which a person can grow is directly proportional to the amount of truth they can accept about themselves without running away.”
When faced with the decision to deflect the truth and run or accept and grow, always choose the accept and grow route! While it may seem difficult now, it is a whole lot easier and more effective than putting up the defense!