Dericka Canada Cunningham, GBW Founder
June 5, 2023
This Week's Anchor
“Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him.
Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught,
and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
Colossians 2:7 (NLT)
Most of us are incredibly hard on ourselves. For some of us, we were socialized to be self-critical as an attempted method of motivation. For others, it’s our context (i.e., pressured work and/or school environment) that leads us to direct such harsh judgment toward ourselves. Regardless of our varying paths to self-criticism, one common contributor is our inability to recognize and celebrate our own growth. We effortlessly acknowledge growth in everyone else but ourselves. This isn’t only true for personal growth but also for physical growth as well. As a child, I recall adults repeatedly expressing their disbelief in my development across periods of time. I saw the markings on the wall indicating my body was getting taller, but I could never actually feel myself growing. This inability to see and feel ourselves growing extends beyond the physical and our childhood experiences.
Nevertheless, there is a benefit to being able to recognize our growth, particularly our personal and spiritual growth. According to our anchor scripture in Colossians, in being rooted in Christ and honoring our growth in Him, not only do we evolve, but our faith is strengthened, and we overflow with gratitude. It is liberating and relieving to see and feel self-growth. It makes living and wading through struggles seem worth it. We often misperceive self-criticism as a motivator; however, it usually results in a level of self-pressure that unknowingly demotivates and discourages us. Contrarily, it’s the affirmation of our growth that propels us forward and helps us persevere in our purpose. When we recognize our growth, we receive clarity on a few things, including: (a) what works and what doesn’t work in our lives; (b) who and what should be a part of our lives; (c) where we have been; and (d) direction for where we are going.
Acknowledging and affirming our progress encourages, affirms, and inspires us, and it connects us with the One who is at the foundation of our evolution. See, by honoring our growth, we are honoring God’s work in us, because let me tell you, He is always working on, in, and for us. So how can we more mindfully honor our growth? Here are a few ways:
Adjust Our Lenses—See Ourselves More Clearly: Devote time and space for thoughtful reflection and introspection. Engage in spaces (e.g., bible study groups/prayer circles, accountability partners, therapy/counseling) that facilitate our naming and understanding of how we have grown and want to continue growing. Get specific—consider different areas of growth and ways you have grown that are based on your unique experiences (not in comparison to others).
Sharpen Our Growth-Assessing Tool—Intentionally and Consistently Assess Our Growth: We’ll make a vision board in a heartbeat but let someone ask us how we’ve grown over the years, and we’ll give a blank stare. We are naturally future-oriented and forward-thinking beings, yet we should be careful not to hyper-focus on where we are going at the cost of neglecting where we have come. Just as we carve out consistent goal-setting moments in our lives, we should also designate intentional growth-assessing moments in our lives. We can do this by setting aside time to continuously identify how we are growing and have grown.
Implement Reinforcement—Affirm Yourself and God’s Work in You: Our growth deserves celebration! Therefore, we can be creative in finding ways to commemorate our evolution. It can be as simple as giving yourself rest, enjoyment, other desires, or positive words on a Post-it note. We can also mindfully direct praise to God for how He is growing us. Bask in and deeply connect with your growth and share and celebrate with others!
Whether you feel it or not, you have grown, and you are growing; you have healed and are healing. Think about it, you aren’t the person you were 10 years ago, 5 years ago, or even last year. You’ve changed. You’ve evolved. You’re wiser. You’re better. You’ve endured. You’ve sustained, and you’ve persevered. If no one else in your life sees it, God sees it, and you can see it too. Ground yourself this week by standing firm in the deep ever-evolving roots of you!
Reflection
What is resonating for you about this scripture and/or this devotion?
How have you grown thus far this year? How can you intentionally and consistently be more attuned to your personal and spiritual growth?
What intention(s) do you want to set to connect and/or reconnect with being grounded this week?
Related Scriptures to Ground You Through this Week
Philippians 1:6
Philippians 1:9-11
1 Corinthians 13:11
Isaiah 43:19
Jeremiah 29:11
2 Peter 1:5-8
My Through-the-Week Reflection Guide
A Song of Inspiration
Quote of Love & Liberation
“Black women have incomparable faith, strength, resilience, creativity, and work ethic. There’s nothing that we can’t do or be! We’re Exquisite Black Queens… Born with excellence inside our DNA. We were, are, and will always be royalty!”
Stephanie Lahart
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