What Growth Feels Like • Daily Devo #452
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Today’s Devotional Scripture: 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. - James 1:3-4 KJV
The Message For Today (February 8, 2026):
***Audio Version For Paid members: What Growth Feels Like Audio 452
We live in a world that tells us that external achievement and success are growth. We focus on our five-year plans, on graduating high school and in college, and then, after coming out of college, and then going into the workforce and growing in our careers, our finances, growing in revenue, maybe having children, or maybe not. Whatever the case may be.
All of these things are achievement-based, and the more things we achieve, the more it looks as if we have grown. It looks as if we have achieved a level of growth that has tangible evidence, and so achievement is confused with growth. Moving on to certain things, certain futures, new seasons. Even this is not growth, it is a decision to move forward.
Forward movement is progress, not growth. So you can progress, you can decide to move forward, you can decide to change your life, but that in and of itself also is not growth. So it’s easy to believe that if it feels like you have enough money in the bank, if you have, you know, great relationships, and you have all of this great time and all of these achievements and awards, it’s easy to think that you’ve grown.
That you have so much growth until something dramatic and life-changing happens. Until the accolades no longer matter, the achievements start to lose their luster, and the forward movement doesn’t solve issues; it only carries issues with you wherever you may go. Then we start to understand that growth feels entirely different.
Growth is not external, feel-good moments, accolades, and success and achievement. All of these things have their place, but none of them is, in and of itself, growth. Growth is something completely different. It is painful, it is hard, and it is necessary. Anyone who says growth is easy hasn’t truly, truly lived.
Not in a world that is quick to platform you and de-platform you as soon as you make the wrong or the right move. Growth is something that no one may ever see, but that you will know when your heart has occurred. You are the only one who needs to believe in it. That is growth.
Others may feel the effects, but will they really know?
