C’m On, Grow Up!

This week I have been reading in Ephesians. What struck me in Ephesians 4:12 was that God wanted me to attain to mature womanhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that I may no longer be a child, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, I am to grow up in every way…..

What does that mean? What am I to do? I can’t do vague. So I decided to make a comparison like we were taught to do at school.

• Child:   Spends all her pocket money on sweets and toys on the first day.
• Adult:   Budgets money to pay for commitments and makes sure there is enough to last the month.
• Child:   Gets distracted from tasks easily .
• Adult:   Finishes tasks
• Child:   Gets upset easily about small hurts and disappointments. Throws a tantrum if she doesn’t get her way.
• Adult:  Moves beyond temporary feelings and impulses.
• Child:   Assumes adults know everything and believes what she is told.
• Adult:   Makes own decisions based on reason and research rather that the popular opinion of others.
• Child:   Govered by the feeling of the moment.
• Adult:   governed by values and understanding of the right thing to do.

I could probably add a lot to this list but just these five points make me realize yes, I haven’t grown up properly. I still do what I feel like and regard my hard earned money as mine to spend as I wish.   I tried to remember how I justified my purchase of a tablet just because everybody else had one. Now its main purpose is as an alarm to wake me in the mornings.

So, I have a long way to go. Only with God’s help can I outgrow my childish tendencies and grow into the maturity he desires.

 

Just when I thought I was off the hook!

I have been taking it easy lately. I haven’t blogged for ages, I haven’t written anything for the writers circle and my book is sitting at chapter four where it has been since June.

Those of you who follow my blog will know that I felt called to write after a Christian writers’ retreat. A couple of months ago I contacted Valerie who is involved in  a project called “Books in Homes Africa” Their mission is to produce affordable books so every home can buy them thus bringing literacy to South Africa.  Val was excited about some of my children’s books, including “The Saddest Little Sugar Bowl in the World.” The upshot is I have donated my children’s stories to the project.

I thought that was it. I thought that was what the call was about. I enjoyed the freedom of not having to look after my blog, not having to try to find time in my busy day to write. I deleted without reading all the e mails from writers’ blogs I had subscribed to.

I might need to rethink! An interesting set of co-incidences happened this last weekend.

• First I got an e mail advising me that there was a pingback on one of my blog posts. When I went to check it out, I saw it was the one about the writers retreat and how I had felt called to write, “Waking the Dragon”
• Then I also got an e mail from Val after months. I hadn’t worried or followed up at all because I had released my books to the wider world and what happened to them was none of my concern. However her e mail encouraged me and I thought maybe I could write more stories for beginner readers.
• We were on a motorhome rally at a lovely resort in Vereniging over the weekend and I had brought my Kindle to do some reading. My cheaper version shows adverts for books from Amazon as the sleep screen and as I took up my Kindle on Saturday to continue reading “The Girl on the Train”, this is what I sawSo now I am going to have to get more disciplined again and go back to my novel. I’ll have to read the first three chapters again just o see what’s happening. I am just going to have to believe that whom God calls, he equips (Hebrews 13:21) because I certainly don’t have the  perseverance to do it on my own. I can’t even stick to a diet for a week!