Ever feel like your efforts to help someone grow—whether your kids, a friend, or a coworker—just aren’t sticking? You pour in time, wisdom, and encouragement, yet they still seem to forget the basics or make the same mistakes. If you’ve ever wondered whether your investment matters, you’re not alone.
Here’s a truth that might surprise you: purposeful investment in others isn’t just about their growth—it’s about yours too. When you intentionally pour into someone else’s life, you’re not only helping them become who God created them to be; you’re becoming more like Jesus in the process.
The Bamboo Principle: Growth Takes Time
There’s a type of bamboo that requires two to four years of watering and fertilizing before a single shoot breaks through the soil. Sounds frustrating, right? But beneath the surface, an intricate root system is forming. When that bamboo finally emerges, it can grow an inch per hour—sometimes several feet in a single day.
Spiritual investment works the same way. You may not see immediate results when you encourage a struggling friend, mentor a younger believer, or pray faithfully for a prodigal. But beneath the surface, God is building something strong and lasting. Purposeful investment turns growing faith into multiplying faith—not just in others, but in you.
What Spiritual Parenting Looks Like
The Apostle Paul modeled this beautifully with Timothy, calling him “my true son in the faith.” Paul wasn’t Timothy’s biological father, but he invested in him for over a decade—teaching, correcting, encouraging, and praying. Every Christ-follower is called to this kind of spiritual parenting, whether you’re mentoring a teenager, discipling a new believer, or simply being intentional with your words.
Spiritual parents use life-giving words. They call out identity and potential, reminding others who they are when life makes them forget. A simple text of encouragement, a spoken prayer, or pointing out how you see God at work in someone’s life can be transformative.
Spiritual parents also protect and correct. Love doesn’t always mean comfort—it means formation. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is speak a hard truth with tears in your eyes, guiding someone back to the path God has for them.
Prayer: Your Secret Weapon
Here’s the game-changer: spiritual investment isn’t just what you say to someone; it’s what you say to God about someone. Prayer is how we take our hands off and place people in God’s hands. Pray for them by name. Pray scripture over them. Ask God to give them a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith.
And don’t just pray for those you’re investing in—pray for everyone. God’s heart is that all people would be saved and come to know the truth. Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for all, not just some. That coworker, that neighbor, that difficult family member—God loves them deeply and wants you to be part of His rescue mission.
Your Next Step
So here’s the challenge: Who is God calling you to invest in? Maybe it’s someone already in your life, or maybe you need to pray and ask God to open your eyes. Commit to praying daily for that person and watch how God uses you to multiply faith.
Prayer:
Jesus, give me eyes to see who You’re calling me to invest in. Help me use my words to build others up, to call out their identity in You, and to pray faithfully for their growth. Teach me to be a spiritual parent who reflects Your love. I trust You to work beneath the surface, even when I can’t see it. In Your name, amen.
