Wouldn’t it be nice to be a child again? To live a carefree life under the protection and provision of loving parents? To spend carefree summers swimming, bike riding, game playing and just ‘hanging out’ with friends. Though it once was the case for so many of us, times have changed and now we must play ‘adult;’ a game that is not really a game.
Through the years the carefree life of adolescence has given way to a life filled with great responsibility. The ‘daily-grind’ (as we sometimes call it), includes going to a job every day; and quite often it is a job that we may not like or find to be less that fulfilling. Yet, we go and try our best because we know that the job enables us to put food on the table and to have a roof over our head.
I saw a man wearing a T-shirt with the words “I may be getting older, but I refuse to grow up.” Though the sentiment caused me to smile, the truth is that we do grow up. ‘Adulting’ may not be what we want, but it most certainly is what we are faced with. Therefore, we must accept it and make the best of it.
In Luke we read of that day when Jesus was before the learned men of the Law as He observed them, and even astounded them with His understanding. After leaving Jerusalem with His parents, and returning to Nazareth, we are told “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52).
One would think that the word ‘stature’ would conjure up thoughts of growing tall physically, like my sixteen-year-old grandson who is now six feet and four inches tall. Though Jesus certainly grew to be a man physically, His stature refers to His standing, or reputation, among men. He became wise, of good reputation, and was approved by those who knew Him.
The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, wrote, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man I put away childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11).
I don’t think for a moment that Paul meant that we could not play, have fun, dream, and enjoy life just as we did when we were young. But just as was written concerning Jesus, we grow in wisdom, stature and favor with men while maintaining our ability to love, laugh and enjoy life. So, we must accept our responsibilities with a seriousness that each one requires and have fun as we do.
Be serious, but not too serious. Be somber but learn to laugh and have fun in the process. Accept our responsibilities well, but at the same time learn to play like a child once in a while.
Jerry L. Dunn, Oak Street Baptist Church
