Children grow so quickly – in size, intelligence, and abilities. I was reminded and deeply moved as I read a post Monday in which the blogger shared how her daughter continues to progress.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the progression of growth since. And then I read about the growth of another child …..
Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When Jesus was twelve, he also went with them. Once the festival was over, everyone headed home. When His parents couldn’t find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for Jesus. They found Him in the Temple, sitting with the religious leaders, listening to them and asking questions. At the end of the story, we read this:
“Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and all the people.” (Luke 2:52, NLT)
Jesus grew.
He was able to sit and learn from those around Him. He remained One who could listen and exchange thoughts with others. Jesus, the One Who is all knowing, still came to this earth as a child who desired to learn. He came and He grew throughout His childhood. He came as One willing to be taught and willing to learn.
We need to remain learners all our lives. We benefit from being with others and hearing their experiences. We glean from their knowledge recognizing we all cannot know everything.
But it isn’t enough for us to just gather up knowledge and store it in our minds. Somehow it has to get down into our hearts and translate into more than information.
Our minds and our hearts must become engaged with one another. Our minds must spring to life with what our heart knows to be Truth. We must come to the place where we apply, to our daily living, that which we have learned.
Each day, as our situations play out, we must come before Him and ask, “What do you want me to learn about You, and from You today?”
As we ask this question of Him, somehow I think we come to learn with Him in every circumstance, in every joy, in every pain, in every sorrow, and in every laughter.
When we ask Him that question, every day becomes the classroom in which we learn more about Him, “growing in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and all the people”.
Jesus grew.
And…
May we grow.
This post was shared with … Words of Life Wed., Coffee For Your Heart, Three Word Wed., Whimsical Wed., Wed. Prayer Girls, Wedded Wed., Winsome Wed., Works For Me, A Little R & R.
So nice to link up with you today. I really enjoy your blog. Yes, getting truth into our bones is a challenge of faith. I love the way you share about asking Jesus every day, what do you want me to learn about you today. What a great faith habit to grab hold of!
Thank you so much, Ginger. May we both grab hold of this faith habit & live expectantly š
I am pinning your post on my weekly favorites board on Pintrest. Love to connect with you there:)
Thank you so much as that is so sweet. I am not yet on Pintrest. I am trying to decide if I want another thing to keep up with š
Love this because it reminds me of what my own (growing) daughter is doing this summer. She is participating in an internship at her church called “252” from Luke 2:52. They focus on growing spiritually, relationally, and physically. It’s been a special summer for her as a result!
Oh my gosh, what an exciting summer even for you as her mom. To see her grow has to be most exciting. May God continue to be with her & grow her deeply!
I love how you said that we need to be lifelong learners! We are never done growing and I think sometimes when we are grown up, we think we are “done” and the reality is that we will always be growing if we are following God. Thanks for linking up today!
-S.L. Payne, uncommongrace.net
God always has something for us to learn. I think that is what keeps life so exciting! Grateful you stopped here!
What a great question! Asking that each day would help us be aware when there is something we need to realize. Thanks for the reminder to be intentional!
Sarah, you are right! Asking this question would keep us living with expectancy as to what we are to do and learn.
I love the idea of stopping and asking God that question every day. Sounds like a wonderful way to end the day . . . reflection time and learning. I believe every day there is something He is teaching us . . . people He is using to teach us something new. I’m reminded to be more intentional. Great message, Joanne. As always, thanks for sharing with Three Word Wednesday. I am grateful for YOU. Blessings. xoxo
It is a great question to both start and finish our day. Thank you so much, Beth, for your encouragement. I love how God is keeping you & using you during this time!
This is one of my favorite verses in the the gospels. Not because it’s a Jesus-taught lesson, but because it’s a clue into Jesus life. His life as a child growing to be a man. If nothing is really said about something, than it’s kind of a situation normal. He continued to grow – situation normal. This opens up a huge window in my imagination. His family life, his growing-up years weren’t extra-ordinary. They were like ours. I love that!
You love the same thing that I did! It is exciting to realize Jesus’ family was much like ours are today. Both parents and children learned together through all they experienced together. May we be learners our whole life long!
It’s so comforting to know that Jesus was always perfect and yet learning and growing were still part of his life. So that means those things can always be part of ours too. Whew. Thanks for sharing this with us!
It is comforting to realize we do not need to know it all now. I am also glad there is still more to learn. I cannot imagine how boring life would become without learning and experiencing new things each day. Holley, thank you for visiting me!!! Have a great Friday!