Practicing for the Future
So we started raking. And raking. After an hour, we realized we really stunk at it. Seriously. We raked until sundown, and went home with swollen, red, calloused hands, knowing the next day we still had many, many hours of raking left. Either the job was worth more than $20 or we were just painstakingly bad and slow. (Looking back, I'd say it was us.)
The next day my parents drove us over to the woman's house to finish, when lo and behold we saw that the raking was done! Hallelujah! "Who did this?" we screamed in delight. Mom winked at dad and said, "Your dad came over this morning and finished in about 30 minutes." He was our hero. We gladly gave him half our money and it was well worth it. When we asked how he got the raking done so quickly, he said honestly, "I've done lots of raking."
This memory played over and over in my mind yesterday as my kids and I did some raking around our yard. They are 9 and 7, and though they had great motivation for raking (jumping in the leaf pile, of course) they lacked strength, height, focus, and skill. And though they were truly trying, I could see that they just raked like kids; it would take many more hours and years of raking (and physical maturity) to actually rake like an adult.
Together, though, we finished the job. [And, to their credit, they got better as we went.] We ended up with more leaves in one pile than they'd ever seen, and they spent 20 minutes jumping in them. As I watched, I pondered on the idea of practicing for adulthood.
Though you may be a legal adult at age 18 or 21, you don't wake up one morning with all the adult-ness you need bestowed upon you. It takes practice to adult well in every aspect: handling responsibility, making decisions, navigating relationships, and--most importantly--taking charge of your spiritual maturity.
I've been working with high school girls for over 15 years now, and I talk to so many who were in my class in high school and realize, in their early or late 20s, that they have no idea what maturity looks like. So these days, I'm working more on helping high school girls practice for adulthood: in their emotions, relationships, and faith. Why?
- Because they're almost adults.
- Because we don't get better unless we practice.
- Because we're better when we practice alongside someone who's mature.
- Because we reap the blessings of being around mature women of faith.
So in my class we talk about being a strong, responsible, helpful, submissive wife. We talk about how to study the Bible on your own, without a printed Bible study or a class. We talk about thinking about the future and how to balance faith with planning. We talk about the importance of getting good sleep, eating healthy foods, and exercise so you can love Jesus from a healthy body. We talk about the struggles of being a mom, being a friend, and trying to love those who do not love themselves.
I'm still working on many of these adulting skills. I know I need to work on patience, love, selfishness, and wisdom. And though I ask God for those regularly, I know He's not simply going to bestow them upon me.
But He will assuredly give me the opportunity to practice. You, too.
And as I struggle to learn and believe and practice my faith, I talk about that with my class. I want them to see that, like them, I'm still growing up. I'm still working on maturity. I'm still practicing.
Jesus has already handled all the big stuff: when He died and rose again, He sat down at the right hand of God because He was finished with that job and He had opened the door to perfection...not on earth, but in heaven. So we work toward that holiness--sanctification--from now until we see Him face to face. So our striving for adulthood should not be simply in matters of finances or our job or child-rearing, but in holiness. And as we grow up in our mental and physical capacity, we should be growing in all matters of faith, as well.
It takes many, many hours of practice to pull together a meal for 10 people, clean a house and process laundry with small children, or handle the responsibility of managing a household.
And it takes just as many hours to practice the fine arts of studying the Bible (I covered this in two posts: here and here), meditating and memorizing God's Word, listening to His voice, thanking Him for everything, rejoicing in truth, and celebrating His victories. But these are just as much a part of growing up as all the other household stuff.
Share what you know, listen to those who have it figured out, and trust God to use every experience to help you grow up.
I'm here for you. You're here for me. We are made to need each other so we can all grow up well. We'll never get any of it right without the love and community around us. Speak truth, listen to truth, and love truth for yourself and others.
Here's a quick (and incomplete) list of things spiritually grown-up people do:
- Guard their hearts
- Seek God face-to-face in His Word
- Hide His Word in their hearts and minds
- Believe what He says about Himself and their own identity
- Take responsibility for sin and shortcomings
- Forgive themselves and others quickly
- Love the needy, the bothersome, the creepy, the grumpy, and the downer
- Rejoice, thank, and praise as a first response to any situation
- Admit their weaknesses and dependence on God
Don't get this list and feel guilty or use it to make others feel guilty; use it as a reminder of what you need to practice. Not good at some of this stuff? PRACTICE them. Just one at a time. For instance, choose today to forgive everyone who pushes your buttons IMMEDIATELY. Just work on that one thing. You will stink at it at first, because you've never really tried it. But you'll get better every time.
Then go down the list. Practice one thing at a time.
These aren't things you need to do; they're things you want to do because you want to grow up in Jesus. Right? Good. Me, too. Let's practice together.
[Want to dig into this topic more deeply? Get yourself a copy of Pursue the Intentional Life by Jean Fleming.]
@leslienotebook
myleslienotebook@gmail.com
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