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Forever Growing

Watching the amazing day to day changes as my children have grown is something I really enjoy reflecting on. We often look at photos from months or even years ago and reminisce about how much they have changed in such a short time. When they are smaller the changes seem that much more apparent. Milestones like walking and first words stick out, but it is the day to day growth that is really amazing. The look of recognition in their eyes; the first time they express empathy for another. It amazes me on every level. But what is even more amazing is that as adults we are still constantly growing in one form or another, we just don't always recognize it. 

Our relationships change throughout our lives. We grow closer to some people while we grow more distant from others. We may develop lifelong friends or perhaps make deeper friendships in adulthood. The one thing that any type of lasting relationship has in common is growth. Growth in any relationship takes time and work. Very few friendships simply happen, and most relationships that are not growing simply skim across the surface of possibility. Our relationship with God is much the same. The more time we spend in his word, seeking him in prayer and contemplation, the more we grow in our relationship with him. 

Peter challenges us to grow in our relationship with Christ in 1 Peter 2. He entreats us to put away the attributes that may have once defined our lives. 

"So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy 

and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, 

long for the pure spiritual milk, 

that by it you may grow up into salvation-..." 1 Peter 2:1-2

It is with our longing for the things of God that we grow in our relationship with him. We put off what we once were in order to grow. It is easy to make the mistake in thinking that we are ever fully grown in our relationship with God. He is forever shaping us to more clearly mirror who he is. Just like looking at pictures of our growing children, we can look back at the growth God has provided in our lives, and this reflection will always strengthen our faith. 

Knowing God

The foundation of almost anything from buildings to business models lays the groundwork for what that structure will become. A company with a weak foundation of ethics will inevitably fail. A building with a weak foundation sags and collapses under its own weight. Starting with a solid foundation gives us the reason "why" in a process and allows us to move forward with confidence and hope. This is the same with our relationship with God. When our relationship is rooted in knowing God the Father, not just knowing about him, our foundation has the strength to endure.

Over the years I have lived in many different houses. Each house was built during different times with varying building standards. Our current house was built in the late eighties. When we first moved in several years ago I noticed a slight bow in the first floor. It soon became clear that there was a slight problem with the foundation. At first you don't notice everything that a foundation problem impacts. Over time you begin to notice things like windows and doors that don't close correctly or at all. Cracks develop where they shouldn't. These may seem like minor inconveniences but over time they can become big problems. Our relationships with God and others are much the same. If we do not start out at a place of trust, living out of a strong foundation, the cracks begin to develop and what once may have seemed solid begins to crumble. 

In school or training for a job or any lesson we learn it is important to experience the whole process. In recent years I have found that an instructor or mentor can talk to me about a process at work repeatedly, but until I actually walked through it myself the process remained abstract. Our relationship with God is similar. We can read His word or listen to sermon after sermon but until we truly enter into a deep intimacy with God we are just scratching the surface. When we experience this intimacy with God we are building the foundation for our life. The impact can be seen in the slightest detail, even aspects of our lives that we wouldn't suspect. 

Knowing about God and knowing God are two very different things. We can read biographies about historical figures. We could even be considered an expert about that particular person, but we would never know them like their families or loved ones did. With God we can read about him, but until God the Father is revealed to us through the work of the Son by the Holy Spirit, what we know about God are simply facts.

Knowing God in deep relationship impacts every aspect of our lives. It is foundational to who we are. When we begin to see cracks in our lives, it could mean that we have some foundation work to do.