Growing up ...

Monday, Sept 23, 2013. What does it mean to grow up? At home, we have two teenagers and our third child is moving fast towards that age as well. Kids are growing, they are growing up. But growing up is not necessarily something which kids like. Our daughter told us many times, she does not want to grow up.

What does it mean to grow up? …

What does it mean to grow up? It is not only a question for kids. It is a question for us adults as well. When decisions need to be made. When you realize that something needs to be changed. When you need to balance your day-by-day work load and goals. Then, growing up is a key point!

Taking some responsibility for yourself, and for things around you, that is a sign and part of growing up. Sometimes we try to avoid to take responsibility. We try to blame others, we try to not take decisions. Sometimes, we behave like children, who do not care and do not know.

Living with three teenagers, we are as in a big experiment of growing up. There are so many small things every day. Who is supposed to put the dishes into the dishwasher? Who is doing the cleaning up? What about vacuum cleaning? Who pays for the broken chairs in the garden? How many hours to spend in front of the computer? How many films to watch at the weekend? Growing up brings many questions!

Biblical Ideas

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The bible uses the image of childhood and “growing up” for our spiritual life as well. When we come to faith, we are born. We are born out of the holy spirit. Then, we grow. We need to be nurtured, initially. We need adequate food. But then, we also need to grow up. We need to take responsibility. Our mind, our heart, our decisions … all that together shapes our spiritual growth. All this shapes our life!

We are called to be children of God. We will not growing up from being kids of the most high. We will always be his kids, though he wants us to take responsibility, as grown up kids. When we are called “children of God”, that has a lot of meaning. He wants to care for us. He wants to give us freedom. He loves when we play. He loves our joy. He loves when we recognize him as father and mother, as the one who did it all.

Being a child of a father and a mother also means that you are part of their kind. You have inherited so much from both of them. At the same time, you are unique, with your set of skills and gifts, with you own character, and with the decisions you do, which shape your life. Being a child of the Lord means so much. You are equipped with his holy spirit, the spirit of love, truth and wisdom. Listen to him, learn from him. Being a child of the most high is a fantastic experience, with new fascination every time you turn to him. (Roland Potthast) ... more texts