Speaker #1Welcome everybody to another episode of the Growth Gym Podcast, where growth is a journey and not a destination. I am your host, Chris Briggs. Thank you so much for joining me. To all our returning listeners, and even if this is your first time, we say welcome to the Growth Gym Podcast. We are a community of individuals who are growing together in all aspects of our lives, mentally, emotionally, psychologically. financially, spiritually, all areas of our lives, physically. And we thank you so much for joining us on today. All right. So y'all know how we do it. I need you to subscribe. I need you to hit the like button. I need you to share this with family and friends. Today, we have a great episode that has been just weighing heavy on my heart. And so today, I just want to share this episode with you all as we navigate through this uncharted territory that's going on in our lives. So I want you to get your pen and paper out as we go through this together today and that we may be able to glean from one another and that we can navigate through this together. All right. So there's been a question that's been real heavy on my heart as we look around because we have listeners. from all across the world who listen to the Growth Gym podcast. And so there's a question that's not just, I believe, that's not just for America, but it's for our nation, for the world in its totality. The question is this, how do I keep growing with everything that's happening in our world? That's the question that has been on my mind and the question that I've been asking myself. And you may have been asking yourself this question as well. How do I keep growing with everything happening in our world? Because let's be honest, it feels like we're in a constant storm. It feels like that everybody's pointing the finger at each other. Is this person's fault? Is this person's fault? Is it because this person won't do this? Is it because this won't happen? Is it because this person won't approve this? I mean, it's like it's a constant storm. is noise. From everywhere, negativity, division, loss, uncertainty, and you're trying to find yourself and find stability and also continue to grow with all this taking place. And you're in the middle of it all and all the noise. I mean, it's easy. It's easy to get caught up in it. You're watching the news. I mean, social media is so easy to get caught up in it. So that's the question. How do we keep growing? Because we don't want our growth to be stunt or to be shrunk because we are in a chaotic world. Because how do I still grow when everything around me feel like it's shrinking, it's becoming small? That the snap benefits have been taken away from millions of people in our world. how the government is being shut down, regardless of what side you may be on, whatever side, Republican or Democratic, it doesn't matter what side you're on and your political views. And I'm not here to debate that. I'm here to debate the fact that people's lives are being affected. And if we can't point the finger because this person won't do this, this person won't approve this, we cannot point the finger. People's lives are being affected, that they are furloughed. My wife worked for our state, and in all the years. In all history, due to a government shutdown, we have never heard or seen in the records that state employees are being furloughed due to a government shutdown, a federal government shutdown. That's never been seen or heard of in history. So we are living in uncertainty. My wife don't know if she's going to have a job or not. We don't know. And this uncertainty. And not only just my wife, but other family members that we have who are working. And then we have family members who are working but not getting paid. How do you expect people to work for free? Those days are over with. So we're trying to find out how do we continue to grow with all that's taking place. If you want to know. You're feeling, first of all, the weight of the world, because if you'll be feeling weary lately, you're not alone. If you're feeling confused, you're not alone. Maybe you'll turn on the news or felt overwhelmed by the brokenness you see that everything else, everything in what you see is chaotic, is broken. And it looks like the pieces are all over the place. Or maybe you've been on social media and social media has become a play of chaos instead of a place of connection where you get to meet and grow with individuals and a community of people. It's more a place of depression, discouragement, and derailment. Your focus is all over the place. Maybe if you're not just looking in society or on social media. but you're looking within the lens of your own personal world. Feel like that you are unstable, that what has taken place in our world and what's taking place in your world, and then look at the storms in Jamaica. I mean, y'all, there's so much I can name that's just happening and it's causing you to be unstable. But let me give you this growth gem. You got your pen and paper out. Let me give you this growth gem that's going to help you. Because in this time of where we are in our world, where we are in our community, where we are in our states, wherever you are, wherever you may be, whenever you're listening to this podcast, growth in this time, this isn't about pretending everything is fine. Growth in times like this isn't about pretending. pretending that everything is fine. It's about choosing to be rooted when everything else is being shaken. Did y'all get that? Growth in this time is not to act like everything is pretending like everything is fine. Everything is not okay. And if you can sit back and act like everything okay, something is not right. There ought to be an uneasiness. There ought to be something that's shaking up. And let me say this. I'm not, this episode is not to, I'm not here to press my racial views. And it's not about race. It's not about color. It's not about creed. It's about humanity. It's about man, woman, regardless of what color, what creed, what nationality. This is what it's about. It's about people's lives being affected. And even though they are being affected, what we ought to do, we ought to choose to be rooted when everything else around us is being shaken. So the question is, what growth really looks like right now? What do growth really looks like for us right now? Because we're on a growth journey and we're trying to grow and be all that life has for us to reach our full potential and reach our destination. What do growth, growth in this season, you got your pen, got your paper, your phone, take these notes. The growth in this season may not look like achievement. It might just look like adjustment. Let me rewind that again and give that to you. Growth in this season may not look like. achievement, it might look like adjustment because you're looking to achieve something. But in this season and where we are in our lives and our world and our communities and what's taking place, you may have to adjust. Because it may not look like an expansion of growing and swelling. It may look like endurance. Growth in this season of where we are in our communities and where we are and where you are in your life, it may not look like achievement, but it may look like an adjustment. And you may have to, you got to learn how to be flexible with life. You got to learn how to be flexible with life when life doesn't go the way you think it should go or doesn't go the way you think or life don't happen the way you think it should happen. Or just be honest, life just may be lifing for you. But you got to learn how to adjust. Growth is not just about what you can gain, but what you refuse to lose. Y'all, that's good. Growth is not just about what you can gain. It's about what you refuse to lose in this season. That I may not be growing, but I refuse to backtrack and lose anything. I refuse to lose my peace, my character, my compassion. I refuse to lose that. So I may not gain anything because the world... But the world looks at success by how much we keep and have. The world judge our success based on our possessions and what we have. But in this season and what life and what's going on in our lives, it may not be what you can gain. It's what you can hold on to, that you refuse to lose peace, refuse to lose your character. refuse to lose your compassion for people. Let me give you three keys that can help you keep growing even when the world feels upside down. Because here goes the other question, how to grow when the world feels heavy? When the world is heavy on you, and there may be somebody who's listening who may have that feeling. You feeling like the world is on your shoulders. You feel like that everything is on your shoulders and it's a weight on you. It's a weight because you don't like to see people go through the things they're going through. You don't like to see people deal with the stuff they're dealing with. And so it's causing a weight on you. It's causing you to be heavy. It's causing you to be burdensome. It's calling you. to become tired, fatigued, because not only are you carrying the burdens of your life, but you're carrying the load and the burdens of what you see around me and around you, you know, around you. So how do we grow? Then that's a good question. How do we grow when the world gets heavy? Let me give you these three keys. You got to guard your garden, guard your garden. You cannot. control the climate of the world, but you can control what you cultivate in your spirit, in your mind, in your body. Let me give that to you again. You cannot control the climate of the world. If you could, you would. You would change. And let me say this, if you wouldn't change some things in what's happening right now, something is not right. There's a lot of things that, you're not human. You have lost touch with humanity and compassion. If there are some things that you wouldn't change, and no, you may not be able to change the climate of the world, of what's happening in the world, what's happening around you. But what you can control is what you cultivate, is what you put in your mind, what you put in your spirit, what you put in your emotions. You limit what drains you. pour into what strengthens you. If it's your time of prayer, reading, journaling, walking, silence, growth requires in this season intentionality. Growth in this season requires intentionality. You have to be intentional that guess what I'm going to do? I'm not going to allow that to be cultivated in my mind. I'm not going to allow anger to be cultivated, bitterness. frustration. I'm not going to allow these things to be cultivated in me because guess what? What happens is what looks like growth is really nothing but weeds. What looks like growth is nothing but weeds. And it's not profitable to you. It looks good, but it doesn't bring any type of nutrients and doesn't bring any type of growth to your life. So you got to be careful and guard your garden. No, I'm not going to watch the news as much as I used to because I'm seeing the effects that it has on me. I'm going to shorten my time off of social media. I'm not going to read the newspaper. I'm not going to look at the news on the phone. I'm not going to, because it's cultivating something in me. So you got to protect your garden. But then what you got to do also, here go the next one. You got to stay connected. This is not the season and the time to isolate yourself. Because isolation will shrink you, but community will stretch you. You got to find people in your life who will speak life into you when the world is speaking fear. You got to speak life. And if this is your first time listening to this episode, I want to tell you that what our listeners already know, I am a preacher. I am a preacher. I pastor a church. And the other week, I encouraged the people to speak life. Because the world is speaking fear. The world is saying, you need to be afraid. You don't know where your next meal going to come from. You don't know what's going to happen with the food stamps, the Medicaid, your medication. Y'all, people don't know where they, and it's causing fear. But you got to have circles. You got to put circles around you, people around you in your circle. who will speak life. And y'all got to speak life into each other. You got to find people who remind you who you are when the world try to tell you something different about yourself. And that's why I'm telling you community matters. Friendship matters. Mentorship matters. It matters, y'all. And so that's why we're on this growth community. We're on this growth journey together. We are a community of people who are trying to grow. And we need each other. I need y'all. I don't know it all. I don't know it all. And sometimes I need people to speak life into me. And that's what I'm here to do on this episode, to speak life into you. Regardless of what may be happening in your world, what may be happening wherever part of the world you may be listening to me in, wherever you may be, guess what? I'm speaking life to you. You will not faint. You will not give up. You got to hang in there. You can make it. You can handle it. Don't be afraid. Don't let fear hold you hostage. And let me say this. There are some gifts, some talented talents that you have been given. And let me say this. This is the season to tap into them. If you're gifted in talent with other aspects and you don't know, I mean. Use your resources. You got to be resourceful. You got to be intentional in your relationships, your resources. You got to be intentional with them. God didn't gift you and talent you with all these gifts and talents just to sit on them. He gave them to you. And now is the time when you need to put them into practice. You need to use them. But then you got to focus on impact and not noise. Because the world is loud right now, but your light still matters. Even though the world is making a bunch of noise, but you don't underestimate your impact. Still make an impact. Never underestimate the act. Act of kindness. You may not have the financial help to help somebody, but a word of encouragement, a prayer you can pray for somebody, a gesture of grace you can give to somebody. Push back the darkness and the noise. You are necessary in this season. Hear me, you are necessary in this season. Whatever, whatever. You may be dealing with whatever you may be facing. You are necessary in this season. And don't let the world tell you anything different. You are necessary. You are here for a reason. You are here for a purpose. And regardless of what may be happening in the world and what the world may say, listen to me. You are here for a purpose. And I'll be honest. There has been moments. Past month is that how do I lead? How do I love? How do I grow when I feel like everything is falling apart? But then I have to realize, here's this growth gem, that growth isn't about escaping the chaos. It's about evolving through it. Each challenge has a classroom. It's teaching us something. Each challenge is teaching you something about you to even know about yourself. Every test, every trial, everything you go through is teaching you something about yourself. So if you're listening to this episode right now and the way the world feel like it's too much, I want to remind you of this. As long as you stay consistent, you can blossom. in the brokenness. You can mature in the middle of the mess that's happening. You can rise even when it feel like the world, like it's falling. So this is what I need you to do. Take a breath, breathe in, breathe out, take a breath. You hadn't stopped long enough just to breathe. And I want to challenge you, breathe. Because you are still growing here and even now. Breathe. I know the world is trying to knock the wind out of you, but breathe. And you encourage yourself. I'm going to live through this. I'm going to continue to grow through this. I was made for this. Guess what? Because I was made for it, there is nothing. that I cannot conquer. All right. Thank you all for joining me for this Growth Gym podcast episode. And if this episode has spoke to your heart, share it with someone who's trying to keep growing through their own storm. Remember that growth is a journey and not a destination. Keep showing up, keep trusting, and keep shining your light in this dark world. Until next time. This has been Chris Briggs, your host, reminding you that your growth still matter even when the world has gone wild. Hey, I would love to hear from you all. Continue to send in your emails. Continue to like our social media pages. And I pray and I hope that you all keep growing in this season of uncertainty because you were made for this. Keep growing. to next time.