Why is every living thing involved in this headlong rush to grow?

To produce Fruit.

To produce fruit that is a delight to the senses, and to produce fruit containing seed that will multiply offspring to the parent, offspring which is itself a source of delight to the soul.

We all have a drive to grow, and for the same purpose; to produce fruit that is a delight. What is the fruit that you want to offer to the world?

I want to offer love, joy, peace, patience, forgiveness, acceptance, encouragement, trust, kindness, gratitude and laughter.

I want to offer simplicity, a childlike faith, good stewardship and sustainable maintenance of our resources.

To my fellow-travellers I want to offer sincere praise, carefully considered advice, unconditional love, respect and prosperity.

To my Creator, I want to offer gratitude, a belief that He is uncompromisingly and eternally good, and give Him trusting obedience even when the road is very rough.

The best fruit is that which flows with the seasons.

Spring is a time of resurrection, of youthfulness and energy, of rising sap, of zest and rejoicing. Summer is a time of slow maturing, of sweet plumpness, fullness and strength. Fall is a time of vintage, of reflection and ripening.

Winter is a time of rest, when the growth which has all been upward and outward, flamboyant and sensual, gives way to growth which is downward into the roots, consolidating, cleansing, being established, and quiet in peaceful slumber.

I want to be at peace with the season I am in, expectantly waiting for the exuberance of new life, or hoping for a time of rest and refreshing.

Growth is greatest when death is a door to life, when the products of dying are taken on board as sustenance, when pain is embraced as cleansing and purifying, and silence is cherished for rest.

Living things like plants and animals grow through death, pain and silence, but we who have been given the gift of reason have to develop the wisdom to grow by these things, to see beyond them and treasure them for the gifts we recognize them to be.

I want to live a three-dimensional life.

A life of spiritual peace, a life of abundant kindness in the world, and a life that is better every day than it was yesterday.

How many rings do I have in my trunk? How many scars embedded in my past? How far does the shade of my foliage spread? How fragrant and nourishing is my fruit? How many fruitful plants have sprung from my seed? How deep are my roots, roots able to withstand the unrelenting arid season?

Growth is a journey.

A life is perfect, not when it measures up to some standard, but when that life is perfectly yielded to the vast goodness of God, and His yearning to bless us without measure. Our journey of growth consists in understanding and opening up to Goodness.