What breaks the Church?
Title: Growing as painful torture
When the text says 'grew' in wisdom and stature, it's translating the word 'prokopto' -
προκόπτω prokóptō, prok-op'-to; from G4253 and G2875; to drive forward (as if by beating), i.e. (figuratively and intransitively) to advance (in amount, to grow; in time, to be well along):—increase, proceed, profit, be far spent, wax. to beat forward. To lengthen out by hammering (as a smith forges metals) from root κόπτω kóptō, kop'-to; a primary verb; to "chop"; specially, to beat the breast in grief:—cut down, lament, mourn, (be-)wail. Compare the base of G5114.
When my wife (then wife to be) met my mentor, he told her that I was like a piece of raw meat - needed to be beat on to become tender. And he meant it kindly.
I get stuck on the rules - both a good thing and a bad thing when dealing with contracts and government regulations that can be used well or poorly. I'm currently in a quandary over service animals - my son has a service dog but the half-way house says that their rules don't allow it when the feds and the state govt. seem to require it (he has PTSD and that's one of the disabling conditions supporting having a service animal vs. an 'emotional comfort animal'). So easy to get caught in the 'right/wrong' dichotomy when I know it's more complicated than that for everyone. So I'm getting ready to try to hold to the mantra 'what is right, not who is right' in the coming days...