When our three-year-old grandson throws his head back to look up at his 6’4” cousin, you can almost see a thought bubble forming over his head. “When will I be this tall?” None of us knows how tall our little man will be when he’s fully grown, but we do know it will take time.
Why are we patient with a child’s physical growth yet rush when it comes to someone’s spiritual development? It’s so easy to look at those younger in their faith with old eyes and judge them for not believing, trusting, behaving, or worshipping like us.
I’m glad we have the example of Priscilla and Aquila to learn from. (Acts 18) This Jesus-following Jewish couple had been deported from Rome when Emperor Claudius ordered all the Jews to leave. After arriving in Ephesus, they encountered an eloquent, well-versed man named Apollos, who was teaching about Jesus in the synagogue.
Apollos correctly taught what he had learned from John the Baptist’s followers, namely that repentance prepared people’s hearts for the Messiah. Everything Apollos taught was correct but incomplete. Priscilla and Aquila didn’t embarrass him in public or shame him for not knowing any better. They didn’t run to social media to criticize or make fun. They merely took him aside and taught him the way of the Lord more accurately. They connected before they corrected. They trusted his faith and allowed him to walk in the light he had been given before shining more light on him.
Have you ever been corrected by someone who has never taken the time to get to know you? It stinks, doesn’t it? It’s much easier to make snap judgments about someone’s spiritual condition than to make time for friendly conversation. The slow journey to someone’s heart is usually the most meaningful route. By slowing down enough to smell another’s roses, we often find an unexpected, more fragrant journey toward a much better path.
Genesis tells us that God walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. It was all about the journey together. God doesn’t expect us to know everything He knows, but I believe He gets a kick out of taking a slow walk with us and teaching us along the way. Perhaps we become more like God when we simply stroll through life with others rather than jumping to conclusions.
However, being on the slow road doesn’t mean we get to be lazy. Our obedience is an inherent by-product of our love for God. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) The more we know about God through His Word, the more we love Him. The more we love Him, the more we WANT to obey Him. Sometimes being obedient means speaking the truth in love, even when it’s hard.
It’s good to remind ourselves and others that the grace of Jesus we’ve received inspires us to say no to the things that do not honor God. “This same grace teaches us how to live each day as we turn our backs on ungodliness and indulgent lifestyles, and it equips us to live self-controlled, upright, godly lives in this present age.” (Titus 2:12 TPT)
Praise the Lord for giving us the Holy Spirit! He connects before He corrects. He teaches before He grades. He convicts us of our sins, counsels us with truth, and empowers us with fruitful qualities that draw others into closer fellowship with Him. We can’t be someone else’s Holy Spirit, but we can invite them to join us on our walk with Him.
We don’t know how tall we’ll get spiritually before throwing our heads back and looking up at Jesus face-to-face. But we do know that He will patiently allow us to walk in the light we’ve been given until we are able to absorb more light. When we do our best, He ALWAYS does the rest.
“Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Ephesians 4:14-16 NLT)
