Trials and Growth

Somewhere in the bible it says:

"Rejoice even in trials as tests of pure love"

I like the sound of that.

Does growth, whatever that means, come as a result of difficulty, trials, down times, hard situations and challenges (whether self-imposed or external)? Can self-improvement, however you understand it, come about from contentment/peace? Does goodness have inertia or is growth a result of jarring action that unnaturally pushes us forward in spurts?

I'm not sure I'm right and don't necessarily have a lot of confidence in my answer but here goes...

If all things are left as they are nothing happens. When all things remain equal then... well... all things remain equal. For growth to occur we have to do something, learn something, think about something, experience something and get to the other side, put a big check mark on it and consider ourselves to have grown (sometimes by a little and sometimes by a lot).

Growth is not the inevitable result of stillness and inaction. But that's not to say you need to be overly active to grow. Quiet thought, introspection, pondering and discussion with others are just as valid as skydiving. Actually, maybe the part about "others" is an important one?!

What is growth? I dunno. Perhaps it is the life-long struggle/journey/adventure to get as near as possible to whatever we think the meaning of life is. Small steps, little victories, major setbacks, realignments, recommitments, shifting priorities, tangents and indulgences all slowly drag us closer to what we think the point of "all this" really is.

I believe in growth (which, I suppose I am using interchangeably with "inspiration" for the purpose of this entry even though I do believe they are different) can come in many forms and when we least expect it. The Almighty is in everything and so nothing is intrinsically bad (hmmm, nothing?). Potential for growth is measured by our relation to it, how we perceive it, how we process and use it. We can learn right from observing bad just as much as from observing good (is that really true?).

Also, there is the question of whether growth is external or internal. Does it take overt action by someone else to allow us to grow or can growth come about from our own initiative? External challenges surely do help a lot but I wouldn't want to rule out self-imposed shake-ups and recommitments to ideals and aspirations.

The whole topic seems to be one of "many paths to the same goal." I'm not sure there's really a way to judge different ways we grow. Sure, some may be more or less fun, grandiose, life-altering or affirming. But can we really say which path is preferable? They likely all serve a purpose and different people learn differently from different stimuli.

Personally, I grow a lot from discussions with people I love and respect. But I also gain inspiration from songs, movies and observing the actions of people I don't respect. And, finally, I also grow from self-inflicted challenges (such as moving to Israel - something no one wanted me to do or understood why I would). Like I said, I think we can learn good from bad just as we can learn good from good.

This is such a personal issue and more than anything else is the importance of being opento growth and inspiration. It can come from anywhere, at any time, regardless of what mood you're in, what crowd you're with or what you're doing. Don't tell yourself you have nothing to learn just because someone or something is unlike you, at a different point in their evolution, at a different stage of their path, on a different road, etc.

The devil may be in the details, but so is G-d. Inspiration can come when you least expect it and even when you don't think you're walking the path it is important to take stock and realize what you have accomplished. Most people aren't as committed to improvement so go easy on yourself every now and then. You won't be perfect tomorrow, or ever. "Being better" is a daily task, sometimes shown through big leaps and sometimes reaffirmed through merely enduring and maintaining previous days' leaps.