What's choking your growth?

I was puzzled by the flower planter in my front landscape bed under our maple tree.

The impatiens I had planted there looked sad and stunted. They had the same soil, the same fertilizer, and the same amount of light and shade as my other planters. But it seemed like the soil was dry every day, no matter how much I would water it the day before. Meanwhile, the other planters looked lush and gorgeous.

What was wrong?

I wondered whether begonias would grow better in that spot, so I started digging into the dry soil to pull out the impatiens. I discovered masses of thick roots surrounding the impatiens—where did those come from? I lifted the planter and found a maple tree root the thickness of my finger had grown out of the bed, found one of the drainage holes, and grown into the planter! It had filled the container with tree roots. No wonder the impatiens wouldn’t grow!

Jesus once told a story about plants that could not grow—it was the Parable of the Sower, who scattered seed in many locations and saw varying results based on where the seeds fell:

• Some fell along the path, and birds devoured them before they could sprout.
• Some fell on rocky, shallow soil where they could not develop deep roots.
• Some fell among thorns that choked them.

My poor impatiens illustrated the third type of plant—the one that was choked so that it could not grow. When Jesus explained the parable, He said this about those plants:

“And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature” (Luke 8:14).

The cares, riches, and pleasures of life, if allowed, can choke the life out of your Christian walk and stop you from growing. The tree root had found an opportunity and had invaded the soil. The invader robbed the impatiens of water and nutrients. As long as the root remained, the plants wouldn’t grow. To a gardener, that is a powerful object lesson. The only difference between the thriving, beautiful displays and these poor little plants was that invading tree root. The solution was simple—I needed to cut and remove the tree root and then place a barrier under the planter to stop it from happening again.

Unlike my flower planter, as a Christian I have some agency about what I will allow into my life. I can make up my mind to place barriers between me and whatever it is that will choke my growth. What am I allowing in?

Many years ago, as I submitted myself before the Lord and asked Him to grow me, He convicted me of the movies, music, books, and other forms of entertainment I was consuming. These were the “pleasures of life” that I was allowing to invade and choke my growth. It was my responsibility to put up the necessary barriers. I began to research the content of films and shows I was considering. I disciplined myself to change channels, click away from social media and other sites, and avoid certain places (and even certain people). I gave in to temptations many times, but like the loving Father God is, He disciplined me, allowing me to feel the wretchedness of those choices (Hebrews 12:6).

This was training ground. Over the years, the more I have succeeded in resisting—the more barriers I have put into place—the easier it has become to resist the temptations. Paul advised Timothy, “... train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7b-8).

Your temptations—the worldly pleasures and fascinations you gravitate toward—may be different than mine, but anything that takes the bulk of your focus away from godliness can choke your growth in the same way.

• Being consumed by hatred or a stubborn refusal to forgive.
• Making a god out of political or social issues.
• Focusing on the griefs of the past.

The enemy just wants you to give him the opening. He’s more than willing to invade your space and choke the life right out of you. But God has given you the ability to cut off that invader.

Instead, turn your attention to Jesus—fix your eyes on Him instead of the things of the world. Spend time reading the Bible. Tune into Christian radio or teaching podcasts. Participate in functions at your church. Stay in community with other believers. These can be your barriers against anything that might choke your growth. If you feel weak in the face of your temptations, first run from them, then ask Him to empower you and give you wisdom.

He is your loving and faithful Creator, and He is pleased with those requests. He will bless you and honor that training ground. He will help you put up those barriers. He will grow you into a blossoming, thriving child of God.