As we age in the Lord, our growth doesn’t stop, but it is different. The fruit becomes more standard, but the growth becomes less visible to the outside world. The heart is stirred, not over truths newly discovered, but a deepening love of the old truths. Instead of loving a doctrine like a child loves mommy’s necklace, we learn to love the doctrines like a jeweler loves the intricacies of a diamond.

A few years ago we planted blueberry bushes in our yard. What was fun was the immediate growth we saw. We planted them, then they blossomed, and produced a few blueberries right away. That winter one of them died, but the others kept going strong. The next year there was a little fruit, but we knew that we needed to do some pruning to keep the bush healthy and more fruitful the following year. But that winter we had another one die. Now we have three remaining bushes, and they’re looking pretty healthy. They survived the dry summer and so far the cold winter. But the growth is slower, more purposeful. The roots are digging deeper and drinking from more sure water supplies. The growth is less impressive, but not less important. And the growth that is happening now is likely to be the cause of greater fruitfulness in the future. Maybe there is a picture here for the Christian faith.

When we first come to Christ, there is a great shedding off of the old man, and a turning toward righteousness. Especially for us who came to Christ later, there is usually a visible difference to the outside world. We are fruitful in ways we had never been before. There are green leaves sprouting everywhere and new branches forming. We begin to have our affections awakened after being cold and heartless for so long.

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