Growth Doesn’t Happen in Straight Lines

Audio By Carbonatix

I’ve always admired a freshly mowed lawn. The rows are neat and tidy, straight as a ruler. But here’s the thing: living things don’t actually grow that way. Grass may be trimmed into lines, but its growth? It’s wild, reaching in every direction, bending toward the light, stretching for water, responding to seasons. Straight lines are only found in stationary, solid things—like buildings or fences.

Since we are living things, our growth also doesn’t happen in a straight line. I’ve often seen the most growth in my spirit and character during seasons of dark clouds and rain. My roots have stretched deeper toward Jesus during dry seasons when a surface-level Christianity wasn’t enough. Currently, I find myself stretching to the light. After my sweet Grandma’s passing, I’m drawn to God’s glory. This morning I read about His glory filling the temple, and it brought me such peace—there is more we can experience with God in eternity. This is precisely the light my soul needed today!

When I pause long enough to notice, my life reflects more of a vineyard than a fence post. God’s Word tells me this is true. Jesus said:

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” —John 15:1–2 (NLT)

Whatever season we’re in, when can continue to grow, whether it is upward toward heaven or deeper toward Christ. The good news is that God Himself is part of the stretching and pruning.

Stretching and Pruning

Oh, how I wish my growth could be as easy as clicking “upgrade” on my phone. During stretching seasons, I reach toward heaven because I need God more. When my heart aches, I need the peace I can only find in Jesus. 

There are also pruning seasons when God cuts away the extra—my need for control, my striving for approval, my busyness that leaves little room for Him. (Can you relate?) Pruning is never fun. Pruning often feels like loss after loss. But later, I can see these seasons for what they are: preparation for fruit.

In the book The Girl’s Still Got It​​, Liz Curtis Higgs says,

Or we can put it this way, “Darling, pruning hurts, but it sure beats rotting on the vine.”

Tending and Root-Deepening

Growth also comes from tending. It helps to know that God is the one who is faithfully watering the soil of my soul through His Word, through prayer, through wise friends who aren’t afraid to speak truth. 

Sometimes, God uses circumstances I’d never choose to deepen my roots. And storms? They forced me to anchor myself in Him, not in my own shaky strength. Storms are often the thing that helps us take our eyes off everything that seems so very important and focus them back on Jesus.

Lysa TerKeurst said, “We steer where we stare.” She shared this insight during the Lifeway Women’s Leadership Forum in 2017, and it was later summarized in a Lifeway Voices blog post, where she explained:

When I stare only at the struggles, I miss the Gardener’s hands at work. But when I fix my eyes on Jesus, I start to see that even the tangled parts of my story are drawing me deeper into Him.

A Living Story

If my life had been a straight line, I would’ve missed so much. I would have missed the detours that led to adoption, to books I never expected to write, and the heart-to-heart ministry I never imagined. God’s best work often comes in the zigzags, in the moments that appear to be setbacks but are actually setups.

So if your growth feels messy, remember: that’s because you’re alive. Dead things don’t bend, stretch, or reach for the light. But you? You are living, breathing, becoming.

Friend, let’s not despise the pruning or the crooked paths. They are proof that the Gardener is at work, making us fruitful for His glory. Because living things don’t grow in straight lines—they grow toward the Son.

Additional Resources

Walk it Out

If this message encouraged you, you’ll love my book Walk It Out. In it, I share how true fulfillment comes when we align our steps with God’s Word—caring for the needy, loving the forgotten, and living out His purposes even when the path feels anything but straight. Discover how walking in God’s ways can spark passion, mission, and joy in your everyday life.

Sometimes those steps are easy, but many times they require a move outside of what feels safe or secure. When we stop focusing on their own dreams and purposes, and instead focus on God’s dreams and purposes, everything changes.

Get your copy here on Amazon today.

Daily Bible Podcast

We’re Tricia and Michelle, two friends inviting you to join us in reading through the Bible chronologically this year. Reading the Bible every day can be a challenge. We’re here to summarize each day’s passage and provide action steps … in under 15 minutes. Grab a buddy and join our community. Take the plunge, and let’s read through the Bible together. We’ll be cheering you on all the way!

Find us on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform, or head over to our website to get started!