Gary Oliver knows what it’s like to face hard times. In the past few years he has lost his wife to cancer, his son to a tragedy, and personally battled cancer several times. So when he stands in front of a group to speak, people listen. When he does open his mouth to share with the audience he talks not about his troubles but about finding the joy in them. Remarkable.
And then he says something that makes me want to stand up and cheer: “Growth is God’s love language.”
So if you’re not sure what to do about whatever you’re facing today, just find one small way to help growth happen in your life. Let your faith get a little bigger. Your heart a little stronger. Your mind a little wiser. Your relationships a little deeper. Your joy a little more resilient.
Because when you choose growth, you choose life. You say, “I’m not giving in or giving up.” You take back what the enemy of your heart tries to steal from you. What matters most is not that you keep going but that you keep growing.
Bit by bit. Little by little.
Gary freely admits that he’s had many tough days and shed many tears along his journey. But somehow he’s turned those tears into something that waters what God is growing in his life. And with all he’s been through, that gives me hope that the rest of us can too.
XOXO
Holley Gerth
p.s. You can hear Gary’s message here. 80% of his tongue was removed because of cancer and replaced with tissue from his leg. The doctors told him he would never speak again. Well, he and God proved them wrong. 🙂
