Acting Like a Two-Year-Old

My granddaughter Nora is tall for her age. (I know that’s hard to believe…that ANY of my descendants would be tall!) Nora also talks very well for a two-year-old—probably because my daughter is a speech therapist. Sometimes when I take Nora out somewhere, people mistakenly think she is older than she actually is. I may have to explain to people that she is only two years old because some of her childish behaviors that aren’t appropriate for a 5-year-old are perfectly normal for a two-year-old. She is a smart, sweet, loving kid, but two-year-olds will be two-year-olds!

I’ve been thinking about that and realized something. We also need to remember that principle in relation to believers. Two-year-old Christians will often exhibit behaviors that aren’t appropriate for twenty-year-old Christians. Just as we can’t expect a two-year-old child to have the maturity of a five-year-old child, Christians shouldn’t expect new believers to have the maturity of those who have been Christians for many years. We need to be careful that we aren’t passing judgment on people who just need more time to grow.

Growth is a slow process. I can attest to that in my own life. I have often claimed that I hold the world-championship title as the slowest growing Christian ever. But I’m ok with that because I trust God’s timetable. And honestly, I probably would have grown a lot faster if I had cooperated with God a little more in those earlier years! Spiritual growth happens at different rates for different people, depending on their life experiences and how they respond to those experiences and to God’s work in their lives. Physical growth varies from person to person as well. Some kids have a growth spurt at 13, while others might not have one until 17. (And some, like me, never do have a growth spurt, but let’s NOT apply that to spiritual matters! Lol!)

When Moses first began his walk with God, he spent a lot of time questioning God and trying to convince God that he wasn’t the right person for the job. But Moses eventually grew into one of the greatest leaders in Biblical history. Instead of faltering to follow God as he had in the beginning, he eventually had such a desire to know God that he begged God, “Show me your glory,” (Exodus 33:18). Moses had a passion to know God more intimately. That is what Jesus talks about in John 15.

 In John 15 Jesus describes how He abides in us and how we must also abide in Him. “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love,” (John 15:9). Remaining in His love is like falling in love with someone. We aren’t content to just know facts about that person. We want to know that person intimately. Our thoughts remain in that love. We think about that person over and over. I want my thoughts to remain in the love of Christ.

Like Moses, I want to see the glory of God. Do you? It means remaining in His love. It means when the world distracts us from our Savior, we make a concentrated effort to refocus our gaze. We keep that abiding relationship by prayer, reading the Bible, connecting with other believers, and all of those other spiritual disciplines that help us to grow. The important thing is that we want to grow and take steps to grow, remaining in His love.

And God’s plan is that we eventually mature from the baby believer to someone who is mature in the faith and able to help others to grow, “mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

I still have a ways to go. But in the meantime, I’m abiding in Him. I don’t want to act like a two-year-old!

Reflect:

How has spiritual growth happened in your life? Fast or slow? What events or people in your life has affected that growth?

Think about times of spiritual dryness in your life. At that time would you say you weren’t abiding in Him very well?

What specifically has helped you to grow the most as a Christian?

Dear God, Thank you for showing me glimpses of Your glory! I want to see more of it as I grow more mature in my faith. Help me to abide in You always and to teach new believers to do the same. Amen.