Recently we were around our dining room table. Conversation is lively as we are four generations when we are all present.
At one point, one states that she should be considered an adult. The other chimes up, well she is almost one. Neither qualifies as an adult as they are still teenagers.
I think to myself, they really shouldn’t rush it. The years pass quickly and they will be adults soon enough.
We truly cannot wait to grow up – to go to high school, to drive a car, to get a job, to marry, to have children. And then comes the turning point, when having reached some or all of those achievements, we wish we were children again.
In Matthew 18:3, Jesus says this:
“Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.” (NLT)
Jesus was not instructing us to never grow up. Jesus meant for us to come in humility, in trust, in faith. We need to grow up for our own good as there are benefits to maturity:
- Growing up brings more. “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation” (1 Peter 2:2, NLT). God has more for us and growing up helps us to become all we were meant to be. Growing up brings us to be whole in God.
- Growing up brings perfection. “So let it [your faith] grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (James 1:4, NLT). Our faith becomes mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
- Growing up brings protection. “Then we will no longer we immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth” (Ephesians 4:14, NLT). Immaturity makes us an easy mark for imposters. We need to be grounded in the whole truth of God’s Word.
- Growing up brings health. Let’s continue in Ephesians which explains, “so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (verse 16, NLT). Growing up makes us healthy and robust in our love for God, and for others.
- Growing up brings discernment. “Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong” (Hebrews 5:14, NLT). In a world where the lines are getting muddied, making it difficult to distinguish right from wrong, and God’s ways from the world’s, we need discernment more than ever.
Eugene Peterson, in The Message, brings a powerful word image:
“So come on, let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ
and get on with the grand work of art.
Grow up in Christ.”
(Hebrews 6:1, MSG)
“Perhaps celebration is an art worth developing not only for routine holidays and celebratory days, but every day.” Viewing celebration as an art is a wonderful perspective for us to take on each day. Think of all the little things we would then celebrate. Donna Bucher brings a most encouraging perspective in her post “Nurturing Hope Through Celebration” HERE.
Come, sit a spell. Bring your coffee, your posts, and your thoughts. If you link up, kindly visit those who have drawn up a seat around you.
Image by Ray Shrewsberry • from Pixabay
It’s interesting to see those areas where we STILL need to grow up, even as women ‘of a certain age.’ I see a spiritual maturity in some of my granddaughters that I’m not sure I’ll ever attain to. It’s a humbling thing.
I love this post. We stop growing physically at a certain age but we should never stop growing spiritually.
Aw, Joanne … it warms my heart to think of four generations of your family gathered around the table. I love how you point out that growing up brings protection. Not that we ever arrive, but there are definitely helpful benefits to maturing in the faith. Wonderful post, friend.
Hi Joanne, urgh, growing up is so hard sometimes. But you are right. Jesus did not want us to stay spiritual babies. He wanted us to mature – in Him. Great post
God bless, Tracy
Joanne I love the richness of 4 generations gathered around your table-you know we gain much wisdom “out of the mouth of babes”, even around the table!
How encouraging to think of all the ways we “grow up” in the Lord and the benefits and beauty of aging in the Lord!!
Thank you for pointing out the privileges of growing up. Sometimes we want to fight growing older for a variety of reasons. It brings more responsibility and accountability. But in the end, it also brings more wisdom and more blessings.
Having teenagers this is a conversation we are having!
I am glad we can keep learning and growing spiritually! You listed some wonderful benefits.
We are all works in progress, aren’t we? What a perfect reminder of the growth process and its benefits.
What a great ending—that rendering of Hebrews 6 in the Message is SO memorable!
Joanne, I can’t like this title and message any more than I already do! Such a good word. Why do younger generations want to rush into adulthood? Guess we did it too. 🙂 But the spiritual analogy here is so powerful and I like how you said, “Jesus was not instructing us to never grow up. Jesus meant for us to come in humility, in trust, in faith. We need to grow up for our own good as there are benefits to maturity.”
Thank you for the above post Joanne, it is poignant indeed. We have five generations on this planet at the moment but our eldest generation is at the threshold of entering Heaven, he has a very simple & new childlike faith. We praise God for His faithfulness as we grieve.
Blessings to you my friend, Jennifer
I too, love it when I had four generations of family around a table. Hebrews 5:14 speaks of “training.” It takes constant training to continue to grow up, and mature our faith. In a way, I take comfort in that. We are never too old or too young to continue to train under Jesus. There is always something more to learn, and we are never too young or old to learn it!
I suspect if we’re honest with ourselves, we all have more growing to do, regardless of our age. As Christians, our growth comes through our sanctification, which I describe as an ongoing system of growth with numerous repeat cycles, as needed. Until the Day, sweet friend.