Failure to Grow

"You are slow to learn."
Hebrews 5:11 (NIV)

January and February have always been my two least favorite months of the year. The cold, short, often cloudy days following the excitement of the busy holiday season just make me long for spring and the return to Daylight Saving time in early March. Beyond that, however, February is also now a grief trigger month for me. February 1 would have been James Bruce’s 40th birthday. February 12 will be the second anniversary of his death. For the most part, our family has adjusted to our new “normal” and life without James Bruce, but the first two weeks of February are still difficult for even my granddaughters as we re-live memories of both his life and death. Grief is a process, not a “once and done” event, because death ends a life, not a relationship.

James Bruce’s memorial flowers 2024

One of the hardest days in my life happened at James Bruce's four year old annual wellness checkup at our pediatrician's office. The doctor scribbled something almost illegible on the bottom of our pink coded discharge sheet (it was before computers!!) and told me to hand it to the check out clerk when I left. I quickly gathered James Bruce and the rest of our things and started to leave. In doing so, I glanced down at the sheet of paper in my hands and read the words: "failure to grow." My emotional baseline permanently shifted, and that moment is forever etched in my memory as the reality of our worst fears were confirmed. James Bruce wasn’t growing either physically or intellectually.

An infant who breast feeds or takes a bottle is totally appropriate. Physically he is not equipped to handle solid food. A toddler who still requires diapers is expected. A preschooler who still isn't toilet trained may be tolerated, but the expectation is that potty training is required before kindergarten. Failure to master typical developmental milestones is the exception, not the rule. Growth is normal and failure to grow is not.

Unfortunately, many Christians suffer from a "failure to grow" diagnosis. The difference, of course, is that the condition is self-imposed and not a birth anomaly. The anonymous writer of Hebrews reminds us that, "solid food is for the mature who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish between good and evil" (Hebrews 5:14).  In other words, those who are growing put God’s Word to work in their lives and grow in discernment and holiness.

For us to grow to our full maturity, it's not enough for us to just read God's Word. We need to obey it and put it into practice. Much as an athlete builds physical muscles through discipline, repetition, conditioning, and training, we build spiritual muscles by learning, obeying, and living God's Word. Sound Bible study transforms our lives by training both our minds and hearts. We get a handle on God’s Word as we hear it; read it; study it; memorize it: meditate on it and then put it into practice in our lives. The goal for Christian maturity is not just information, but transformation as we grow in holiness and Christlikeness.

By giving us His Word and His Spirit, God has given us everything we need for spiritual maturity (2 Peter 1:3). Failure to grow is always our choice, never God's. What are we doing today to help us grow and mature in our faith as Christians?'
May we all “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 3:18 (NIV)