Space to Grow

 

I laugh about it now, but when I was five, having to wear high top black PF Flyers for gym class embarrassed me to death.

Since I was the oldest child in the family, and my mother had no knowledge of what “gym shoes” should look like for little girls, she drove me to the country store and picked out a pair that would fit me for two or three years. I could “grow into them.” Remember too, that in the 1950s, little girls never wore slacks to school. So, my sporty look, while it might be very “in” today, mortified me then.

My mom expected me to grow. She never questioned whether my feet would eventually fit properly in those shoes. In fact, if I hadn’t matured appropriately by age seven or eight, my parents would have spent all the money they had to find me a doctor to help me develop like normal children.

God expects us to grow, too. In fact, Paul wrote:

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

God will provide opportunities for our growth. And, He will help us along.

St. Peter instructed believers to:

“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)

Jesus, Himself, was said to have grown “in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:52).

Growth, then, is a normal expectation for believers. Yet, there seems to be many people who claim to be Christians, but lack the evidence that they have grown into their own “PF Flyers.” If we find ourselves in this group, we must understand that some of the onus falls on us for this lack of growth.

The author of the book of Hebrews scolded Christians in his day by saying:

“Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!…Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:12-14)

What better evidence of a healthy child are growing feet? What better evidence of a healthy Christian is growth into mature faith?

If you feel in need of a “growth hormone,” start by setting a regular time for reading the Bible and for daily prayer. Make it a habit to be in church for both Christian Education class and for worship every week.

God provides the means for growth, but we are responsible to take advantage of what He provides!