October 24, 2024

You’re Grown

 “When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.” - I Cor. 11: 11 (The Message) 

A habit I developed a while ago is to ask members of a restaurant’s wait staff their names and to, as much as possible, engage in polite conversation with them. While at dinner during the last Central Atlantic Conference, the woman who was assigned to our group said my name is “X” but I like my middle name, “Y”, better. My response was something akin to “You’re grown, you get to decide your name. If you prefer Y, then I’ll refer to you as “Y”. She smiled and for the remainder of the time at the restaurant happily engaged in conversation with me and I with her. Another member of the conference found the phrase “You’re grown” as something empowering as for her it meant we have the ability to declare our own identity. Although I agree, quite frankly, I’d never thought of it in such a profound light – for me, it was an acknowledgment that we are “of age” and as such should have our choices and personage respected. 

Are we “grown” spiritually? I’m of the opinion that we should grow a little more each day, but I realize we will not achieve full maturity until we transition from this life to the next. That being said, I’m also of the opinion that we should be able to look back over our Christian journey and see levels of growth. What are your areas for growing up in God? If you’re waiting on me to give a top 10 list, you’ll be waiting for a long time – I refuse to look at the toothpick in someone else’s eye while ignoring the 2x4 in my own. Let’s declare our own identity in God (including those areas in which we still need development), and earnest seek that development. Why, because we’re “of age”.