# The Mystery of Growth

- Link: https://dismasfellowshipnetwork.com/reflections/the-mystery-of-growth-by-rick-pauw/
- Published: 2021-03-05T10:07:24-04:00
- Author: Paul Tuck

[⌊Hydrangea⌉⌊Hydrangea⌉[

Hydrangea

 

**THE MYSTERY OF GROWTH by Rick Pauw

Glenda took this photo from our garden showing a hydrangea plant with new growth
shooting up from the old dead stems.

It is so remarkable how, in nature new growth can break through from hard places,
or from death.  Imagine that trees have grown from cracks in rock.  Are we so different?
I have seen how so many of you have come out of seemingly impossible hard places,
and still have experienced growth and breakthroughs.  We learn that we are shaped
by our determination to survive and break through when facing significant challenges.
I love this quote I saw on a poster: _“May we grow – not to what was, but instead
to what we can become.”_

During the Covid-19 pandemic we both acknowledge the isolation, fear, and uncertainty
that so many of us are experiencing, and at the same time, we see many signs of 
new growth and new discoveries within ourselves, and in others.  And, what we are
experiencing now will shape who we are to become.

**REFLECTION QUESTION: **

_In what ways have you experienced or observed new growth or surprising personal
discovery in the midst of hardship?  Your responses can be about yourself, others,
or from nature._