Growing
Life today is not the same as it was one year ago. (Hooray!!) And it will not be the same one year from now. Someone once said that the only thing that is consistent in life is change. Much like the Kansas weather, if you don’t like the way things are, just give it 10 minutes and it’ll change.
We tend to plan for tomorrow based upon today. A 30-year-old thinks about his life 30 years into the future based on the realities of today. But he doesn’t factor in all the variables that will also change over three decades. His job, income, health, relationships, expenses, family, and friends will also change greatly over those 30 years. And so will his plans. If we learned anything from 2020, it is that we have NO idea what tomorrow may bring, but we know it will be different. That’s not always bad.
From my office window I can see how the trees in our parking lot medians have grown over 21 years. They grew through the seasons and storms of life. As a result, they are taller and stronger. Our created world is constantly changing, and hopefully you are too. You are not today who you were 10, 20, or 30 years ago. Hopefully, you’re better, wiser, stronger, healthier, and closer to God.
My children are 16 and 10. I have a plethora of pictures of them from the day they were born up to today. Each one is the same person, with the same DNA, but also different. My 16-year-old is not the same person he was at 16-months-old. He has grown, matured, and changed. You remember your 10-year-old at age 6, but the 6-year-old is long gone. It’s a weird paradox. She is the same person, yet also completely different.
These physical changes are imperceptible on a day-to-day basis, but looking back, we see growth has occurred. We especially see that in children and grandchildren. They change, grow, shift, learn, adapt, and mature as all living things do. We expect them to.
Spiritual growth is the same. God wants you to grow and change. As has been said, God loves you just as you are, but He refuses to let you stay that way. Don’t think so? Ask Peter, John, or Paul. In Christ, you are the same person, yet you will be completely transformed.
How are you growing closer to Him these days? Are you reading your Bible? Are you serving others? Are you worshipping regularly? Has your giving increased? Are you sharing Christ with others? Do you pray consistently? How are you connecting to the body of Christ?
Life today is not the same as it was one year ago, and you and I shouldn’t be either. Living things change as they grow. Especially growing up in Christ. May we continue to “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”