Growing up

“If you haven’t grown up by the time you’re 50, you don’t have to!” At least, that’s what someone’s status said on Facebook.

It’s tempting to think of how nice it would be to go back to the halcyon days of our childhood – a time with no stress and no worries. Of course, anyone who has raised children knows that this image of childhood is bunk. Being a kid is hard, and the problems kids face that seem insignificant to adults are monstrous at them. Our mistake is that we picture being kids again, but with all our adult knowledge, skill, and perspective. While staying a kid forever sounds good in fantasy, in reality it wouldn’t be so great at all.

So I wonder why there are so many believers who settle for being “Peter Pan Christians.” So many have never gotten beyond a Sunday School understanding of our faith, and are trying to use tools appropriate for spiritual children to wrestle with adult problems and needs.

Is your faith growing? Can you name at least one way that you’ve become more spiritually mature in the past year? Five years? Something you’ve learned? Some way you’ve come to know God better or love God more? Some way you’re living more faithfully or obediently in the grace of God?

Spiritual growth doesn’t happen by accident, and attending worship on Sunday mornings is simply not enough food to grow the spiritual soul. That’s why we try so hard to get everyone into a Growth Group – a place where you can wrestle with your faith, dig into the meat of God’s word. If Growth Groups aren’t your thing, I challenge you to develop a spiritual growth plan, and stick to it! Don’t know how? Give us a call. We’ll be glad to help.