While washing my hair this morning I became extremely frustrated. I realized after a short time of flourishing, my hair had plateaued. It grew to a certain point then stopped making progress. In fact, many of my ends were split. Running my fingers through my strands, I begrudgingly accepted I’d have to get a trim. However much I dislike it, trims are absolutely necessary for hair health. Between one second and the next, my thoughts shifted from my locks to my spiritual life, where I’ve previously dealt with this very thing, stagnancy. Every time I’ve been in that place where I struggled to produce fruit, like with my hair, I considered what could be done to spur progress. In this post, I’ll share four principles for stimulating and maintaining spiritual growth: abiding in Christ, surrendering to the will of God, pruning, and patience.