Growth or Routines?

Are you merely sticking to boring routines, or are you actually growing? Here's a story that illustrates exactly what I mean: a while ago, I was catching up with a decent and level-headed Christian gentleman (by the way, not all Christians are level-headed). What began as a casual conversation soon turned into a lesson on growth.

I asked him, “What is God teaching you in this season?” Now, before you stop reading and assume I’m about to go into “church talk,” stay with me, because what I’m sharing is not just about faith. It’s about growth and wisdom you can apply to many areas of your life.

My friend paused for a moment, then hesitantly replied, “My prayer life is down.” That answer struck me. He wasn’t really answering the question I had asked; instead, he was describing where he was spiritually. And this made me realize something: we need to become better listeners. People don’t always tell us what we ask; they often tell us what matters most to them in the moment.

I asked a gentle follow-up: “What have you been studying during your devotions lately?” He replied, “Water baptism.” (We’ll use that example for the sake of this reflection.) At that point, it became clear what the issue was. He was faithfully reading Scripture, which is commendable, but what he was studying had nothing to do with the part of him that was spiritually weak. His prayer life was lacking, but his devotional focus wasn’t helping to strengthen that area.

Think about it this way: if your body is lacking a vital nutrient, wouldn’t you change your diet to restore strength and balance? In the same way, if your prayer life is dry or struggling, why continue with a spiritual routine that fails to meet that need? And while this is an analogy rooted in spirituality, I want you to stretch this truth to other areas of your life.

We must be honest about where we feel deficient and intentionally align our focus with that area. How can you expect to grow stronger if what you’re consuming doesn’t actually nourish you? Perhaps what you need in this season is not just more reading, but targeted nourishment. That’s what I told my friend: align your spiritual intake with your area of weakness. If prayer is where you're struggling, then feed yourself with what builds prayer.

Stop the routine and be intentional. Surround yourself with Scriptures that speak about prayer, listen to messages and teachings that stir prayer in your heart, read books on prayer, and immerse yourself in environments where prayer is alive. When you do that, something will shift. Your prayer life will start to bloom again.

And maybe, just maybe, that’s the very thing God wants to teach you—things about prayer you’ve never known before. And you’ll come out stronger, equipped to help others who are struggling in the same area. But if you keep holding on to routine just for the sake of it, you may miss the real purpose of devotion. It’s not about checking a box. It’s about being transformed.