Growth from Stress
I love jalapeños. I particularly love spicy jalapeños; however, the rest of my family - not so much. I recently learned, as I've been cooking with fresh jalapeños this summer, that you can tell how spicy it is by looking at the outside. The more stress marks a jalapeño has, the spicier it is. The stress marks are caused from the stress of the environment.
I, then, decided to do a little more digging about stress from the environment in relation to vegetation. The majority of plants, when put under stress, will stop growing and eventually die. A particular hormone is released to signal the stress. However, there is this really cool plant that uses the stress of the environment to do the opposite of other plants - it grows and flourishes. The more stress it is under, the more it grows. This plant from Turkey is called Schrenkiella parvula. It has adapted to live under stressful conditions, particularly dry, salty, and cold (Castañón).
What a concept?! The stress and pressure on plants in relation to growth (or lack of growth) intrigued me, and I started thinking about it on a spiritual level. When I am stressed and under pressure, how do I respond both outwardly and inwardly? Do I show and feel frustration? Do I use it as an opportunity to learn? Life can be dry, salty, and cold in the world and even in the church, but do I grow through it or do I shut down?
I was reminded of what Paul wrote in Romans 5:3-4.
Now, in place of tribulations, if I insert whatever it is that is causing my stress, is that causing me to persevere, build character, and ultimately have hope? If the answer is no, I need to renew my thinking and ask Holy Spirit to help me respond more like Jesus. As I use the stressful situations to grow, I am not only growing as an individual, but I am ultimately growing closer to God. It also allows me to grow in my ability to respond to future stressful situations in a more Christ-like manner.
The next time you encounter a stressful situation, whether it be big or small, think about how it is affecting your growth in your relationship with God and others. Remind yourself about what Paul wrote in Romans 5:3-4. If you are allowing the stress to impact you negatively, take a step back and ask Holy Spirit to calm your spirit. Then, ask Holy Spirit how you can grow through it. We can be just like the plant that uses stressful conditions to not only grow but flourish. The world we live in is stressful, and we need to use it to become more deeply rooted in God and live a life that is honoring to Him.
Work Cited
Castañón, Laura. “'Extreme' plants grow faster in the face of stress | Stanford News.” Stanford News, 2 May 2022, https://news.stanford.edu/2022/05/02/extreme-plants-grow-faster-face-stress/. Accessed 22 September 2023.
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