But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. – 2 Peter 3:18
I have lots of pictures of my grandchildren on my desk. I accept formal portraits when they are given to me, but most of them are snapshots. When I have a new photo, I simply slip it in front of the old one in the appropriate frame.
Recently at a family dinner, I asked my fourteen-year-old granddaughter, whom I do not see as often as some of the others, for a new picture. After dinner, thanks to digital photography, I soon had a 5x7 picture making its way out of my printer. What a beautiful young lady she had become! She appeared so confident-looking, her hair tied back and flashing a brilliant smile. Could this be the same girl that was in the previous picture taken two years ago—the shy girl with a forced smile and obvious braces on her teeth?
As I am writing this, I glance across my desk at the pictures of my grandsons. Four of them are over six feet tall. They now look down at their grandfather, who had always thought of himself as rather tall. And my two great-grandsons, will they also grow that tall?
Physical growth is natural in children, but how about spiritual growth in adults? The Bible urges me to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” I ask myself, Has that been happening to me as my grandchildren have grown up? Have my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren seen a growth in me as they have changed from little babies to tall young adults? My grandchildren know that they will be “old like Grandpa” someday, but when they look at my spiritual life, do they say, “I want to be a Christian just like Grandpa”?
Spiritually, we can have “forty years of experience” or “a year of experience repeated forty times.” Rather than being content with the basics of Christianity, we ought to dig in to the Gospel and seek to know God more every day. As we do that, our lives will show evidence of spiritual maturity just as we see the signs of physical growth in a child. And we hope they will notice our growth as much as we notice theirs!