…To Have Growth Spurts?

S:

Ephesians 4:13

until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the  knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

(NASB)

O:

This verse is the conclusion to a trio of verses talking about how the church is to be constructed of various and different individuals with differing roles and functions. All of these differing roles and functions are designed to result in one final result…which is the building up of the body of Christ, and then how each individual is supposed to look because of this interaction within the church…until there is unity of the faith, knowledge of the Son, maturity all corresponding to the fullness that Christ supplies.

A: Our oldest daughter works in a before & after school child care program and she noticed how one little boy was eating his share of the snacks and then some. She mentioned this to the mother who responded with a very exasperated look and tone saying, “I just don’t know what to do, I swear that he is eating his weight in food every day!” Our daughter replied, “Well keep your eyes open, because one of these days, he is going to have a growth spurt and you are going to have a completely different looking child.”

These verses and this illustration made me think about growth spurts in our marriages and how there needs to be consistent input, interaction and communication between you and your spouse, and how for a long time, there will not seem to be any difference. However, perseverance will always win, and eventually you will hit a new plateau of understanding and comfortability with each other. At the risk of beating a tired horse, this can only happen between you and your spouse as you…yes, you guessed it…talk, or communicate or pow-wow or conference…whatever you want to call it, on a regular basis. It is practically impossible for any growth to happen if you never talk and discuss what has happened in the past, and focus on what you want to happen in the future.

If there is something that you want to change about your behavior or reactions, pray for God’s help and guidance in changing it, and ask your spouse to hold you accountable to those changes. This is the simple formula for how things change. Positive change is what makes you a mature spouse, which is one of the reasons that God created marriage in the first place.

P:

Lord, help us to learn to talk to our spouse and focus on growth goals that You lay on our hearts. Amen.