Today is National School Picture Day. Have you ever went through the collection of your school photos and compared them year to year? Most of us cringe at the thought!
- The early photos chronicle our journey of losing teeth.
- Then, there are the photos where the adult teeth are growing in, substantially bigger than the surrounding baby teeth, all in a mouth and head that don’t look big enough to hold them.
- There are photos with braces, gleaming for the camera. In my generation, there were the external retainers that you couldn’t remove before your pictures. For time and eternity, you were left with a photo of you and your headgear wrapped around your head featuring your metal smiles.
- There are plenty of bad haircuts for the boys. I went through the years of being forced to have a burr haircut. I got called “peach fuzz” and “bristle top” all the time. This is in elementary school – not the best time to have an unwanted nickname!
- Girls sported their mother’s hair experiments complete with braids, bows, and barrettes.
- We see the “fashions” through the decades and wonder, “What were we thinking?!?”
- And let’s face it. Some of us didn’t quite grow into our bodies and features for some time. We may have been the “ugly duckling” for a number of years and we have the pictures to prove it!
If we can take a moment and reflect on those pictures, mentally lining them up chronologically, what we get is a picture of our growth. This is a growth that we couldn’t see for ourselves, but others saw it. When school started back up this year, I had a girl get on the bus on the first afternoon and I almost asked, “Who are you?” I’ve had her for the last four years but there was so much change in her face and height over the summer that I didn’t recognize her at first.
I think the same thing is true for us spiritually. If we could have taken a spiritual snapshot through the years and could now place the photos in a row, we would see some “ugly
duckling” photos, wouldn’t we? And, while we never “arrive” at full maturity and perfection, we can (hopefully) see growth in those pictures.
To the church of Ephesus, Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:14-16, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (15) But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: (16) From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”
Yes, believer, it is time for us to grow up. Typically, telling someone that they need to “grow up” is insulting, isn’t it? Paul isn’t using the phrase in a derogatory manner. Instead, he uses it as what should be the normal progression of our lives. We should be growing up in the Lord.
If a picture could be taken of our walk with the Lord, we should see maturity and growth. We’ve gotten taller, packed on muscle, and developed skills along the way that are used in the Lord’s service. How do we do that? Take some time and reflect on these verses today.
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: (4) Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (5) And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; (6) And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; (7) And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. (8) For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:3-8)
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