Day 2411 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.
1 Corinthians 13:11 NIV
Growing up is a part of life. A big part. It’s inevitable. Problem is that in many ways we all try to avoid it. We try to find ways to remain the same because it’s easier. When we were kids we didn’t understand things like responsibility. We didn’t have to worry about weighing options, considering consequences, or making the right choices. We just ran around laughing and having fun all the time. To be fair, who wouldn’t want to live like that forever? Who wouldn’t want to avoid the tougher side of growing up and the responsibility that comes with knowing right from wrong?
But that just isn’t how life works. We may want to remain immature and ignorant to the gravity of our thoughts and actions. We may prefer to act like we don’t know the truth or the reality of the ramifications for our immorality. But as hard as we may try to sneak right on past those things, there’s simply no avoiding them. At some point we have to grow up. We have to start thinking for ourselves, making our own choices, and owning the successes and failures that those choices bring.
We have to understand that we’re the only ones who are responsible for the lives we’re living. We can try to blame others. We can point out things that have been done to us that have made our journey harder. We can list a million different inconveniences and troubles that have come our way and swept our legs out from under us. But no amount of whining, pointing fingers, or playing the victim can change the fact that we’re the ones who have to answer for the lives we live.
Yes, tough times come. They come for all of us. But running away from them and hiding under the covers doesn’t help us. We have to learn to face them and fight through them. We will fall down and scrape our knees, but we have to learn to get back up again and not let the pain or embarrassment leave us crying. People will be mean and say nasty things, but we have to learn to not give the hatred around us the power to bring us down. We will be cast aside, ignored, hated, judged, and persecuted for being different. But we have to learn to find value and confidence inside of ourselves and not the praise or applause of those around us.
Facing life isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a fight. It’s a grind. It’s a constant journey of ups and downs that will bring feelings of uncertainty and discomfort. We can’t afford to make it harder by holding on to the childishness that we may find more comfortable or carefree. We have to put those ways behind us and endure the pains that come from growing. It may not be as much fun. It may require those hard things like change and the humility that comes with realizing we messed something up. So be it. We just can’t keep running away every time something gets hard or goes wrong. We have to learn how to deal with it because those things will be a part of this journey for as long as we’re here.
There comes a time when we just have to grow up. That’s the only way to improve. That’s the only way that we can learn and mature. Avoiding hardship and trial may sound like an easier path. Continuing to blame others for mistakes we make might take the heat off of us. Shirking responsibility and constantly leaning on that ‘I didn’t know’ crutch may ease the burden for a time. But at some point we’re going to have to own who we are, what we’ve done, the choices we’ve made, and the changes we didn’t.
The fact of the matter is that God didn’t put us here to do nothing but have fun and run around like nothing matters. He didn’t create us to whine every time we don’t get our way or stomp our feet when we have to clean up the messes we make. He designed us to grow. He gave us the ability to learn new things, see different perspectives, and to never stop trying to improve. He put this fire inside of us that refuses to afford us the easier path of staying where we are. We should want more than what we’ve already experienced. We should want to see just how far we can go, how much we can learn, and how strong we can become by following the path through the storms that God has laid before us.
It may not be easy or fun all the time. But learning from God and growing our faith in Him are more than worth the effort and pain that come along the way.
Comments
Post a Comment