Those of you who love aquariums know that a fish will not outgrow its environment. For instance, one of the most popular aquarium fish is the shark. If you catch a small shark and confine it, it will stay a size proportionate to the aquarium. Sharks can be six inches long yet fully matured, but if you turn them loose in the ocean, they grow to their normal length of eight feet. Far too often our churches or the various ministries in the church such as a Sunday school class, a youth group, or a children’s ministry, get caught up in the aquarium principle. Their ministry growth is limited because their ministry world is too small, and of course their ministry world is too small because their ministry growth is limited in its current context. This is also true of our own spiritual growth. Too often our spiritual growth is limited by the size of our faith. 

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It is when we enlarge our vision for a ministry in which we serve that we begin to see growth. Our ministry will grow when we begin to look beyond the limits toward the opportunities. The same sleepy Sunday school class that has the same six people for the past year might take time to consider developing a prospect list and start inviting those on it. A children’s worker might look for children that they could pick up and bring to their class or encourage grandparents to bring their grandchildren. A stagnant men’s or women’s ministry might take opportunity to brainstorm new ways of fulfilling its purpose and implement them.

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Our own spiritual growth is limited by our faith. What are you doing to grow your faith? If you keep living in the same spiritual aquarium, then your faith will probably stay about the same size. Our faith is enlarged when we exercise it. We exercise it by actively trusting the Lord through prayer and obedience. It grows as we grow in the knowledge and the application of it. What are you doing to apply the word more intentionally and faithfully than you have been? What are areas where you know that you need to trust the Lord that you don’t? Don’t let yourself stay confined to an aquarium when the Lord has a much larger place for your spiritual flourishing.