"Adulting"

Proverbs 2:6-9, "Only the Lord gives wisdom; he gives knowledge and understanding. He stores up wisdom for those who are honest. Like a shield he protects the innocent. He makes sure that justice is done, and he protects those who are loyal to him. Then you will understand what is honest and fair and what is the good and right thing to do."

I spend my days with a group of kindergarteners and aside from the joy and laughter they bring, I have some other thoughts that come to mind. Especially when I get the first and second graders joining me. This week one of the second graders said, “Wish I could be back here, their work is easy.”

Well, I could see that. Their days are filled with coloring, music, and running around. They even get a snack and nap/rest time. Seems like the good life. How many of us have wished to go back to those simpler days?

“Adulting”, a newer word that has swept the nation over the last several years. Meaning: to adult, crossing over from that child to now paying bills, having a steady job, moving out of mom and dads to being on our own, becoming independent.

I'm middle-aged and have been doing this adult thing for some time now and still, when I have paid the bills, had stresses, or have worried about my kids, money, or life in general I've said, a time or two, “Oh to be a kid again”.

My oldest daughter, who is still under 30 not too long ago said, “I'm an adult now, I’ve made a big purchase for my place. Furniture on a payment plan.” Just recently my son, who has a place of his own for the first time, laughed saying, “I'm buying generic now, to save money.”

No matter if you're just entering adulthood or you've been an adult for years, adulting is hard and there are times we all long for the days of coloring books and naps.

Yet, life insists on moving forward and we all enter adulthood. So, what can we learn and how can we apply a biblical outlook when it comes to adulting.

- Humility is the way to greatness. No matter how old we become, the world is constantly changing, and adulthood can teach us how little we know and that we can still learn. It shows us that weakness is the road to greatness. “For this reason, I am happy when I have weaknesses, insults, hard times, sufferings, and all kinds of troubles for Christ. Because when I am weak, then I am truly strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10.

The problem we have is that we don't want others to see that we are weak or think we're weak. Paul is teaching us that this is more about pride, but as an adult we need to show humility and that is where we'll find greatness.

- It's okay to not have everything figured out. When I was younger, I saw adults as the suit wearing, briefcase carrying, white picket fences, neighborhood living families. To me once you hit your 30s that was life. Well, imagine my thoughts when I hit my 30s and that was not my adult life. A husband, three kids, three moves later and I still didn't have it figured out and it was definitely not how I saw things unfolding after the ‘I do’. I've learned that my future is like a blank canvas and it's teaching me to trust God. Even now I still don't have life figured out, but I know God knows my future and holds it in His hands. In His unwavering love He asks us to surrender our desires and dreams to Him and follow His guidance. No matter the bumps and bruises along the way, He's got this, and He's got me.

- We need the discipline of failure. S. Lewis Johnson said, “One of the ways in which God disciplines us is through the discipline of failure.”

Oh, I know this sounds harsh and we never want people to see us as a failure. Instead, we want to come across as the model of success, flawless and put together. This can also fall under the sin of pride.

The fact is, God teaches us through our failures. It is through our failures that we find strength and at times see the lessons God is wanting us to learn. Truth be told, it is through failure we become a better Christian, a better person, a better adult. In our failures we can see and confront our shortcomings, confess, and correct our mistakes, and learn the right way forward.

- We need “real” adults. No matter how old we get we still need older adults. Their wisdom can always help teach us, mentor us, support us, train us, and even protect us. Their wisdom of, ‘been there, done that’, can help us navigate the roads we're on or going to be entering. Paul even tells us it is the older men and women we need to help teach and guard the younger ones- Titus 2:1-6.

Now that I am older and maybe just ‘a little bit' wiser, I can smile and be amused as I watch my own children begin to navigate ‘adulting’. I know I still have a lot to learn but I am glad I am a little more seasoned than I was 20 years ago. There is a book called Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps. Was written by 28-year-old Kelly Williams Brown. Some of the steps include buying bulk toilet paper, doing weekly cleaning, and not wearing wrinkled clothes. This book might bring a smile to our faces and could be educational, but in God's kindness He has given us something better to help equip us to “adult” well, His Word. In the Bible we can seek the wisdom that allows us to discern good from evil, and what's good from what's best. Even on the days when we feel like we just can’t do the ‘adulting’ anymore.

Don't misunderstand me, I love being an adult and I have had many fun and enjoyable years. Being an adult can be work, can be stressful, but has a lot of perks too. I love my family, I enjoy my job, and now that my kids are adults, I'm loving the empty nesting life with my husband. So, enjoy being an adult, but every so often get out the coloring books and take a nap.

Why do you read the Bible? Or maybe I should ask the question, why do you not read the Bible? Spending time in God’s word can be a hugely enriching experience for any Christian. What you read impacts you. Think about how you feel when you read your news feed. Reading the Bible on a regular and consistent basis has several benefits. The Bible shows us God’s character and provides us God’s revelation of himself to his people. In each section of the Bible, we see God’s holy, unchanging, faithful, gracious and loving character. The Bible is more than just a good book, it is the Book of Life, which leads to life in Jesus Christ. It enables us to know God in all his majesty and glory, to know ourselves in all our sinfulness and brokenness, and the way of redemption and restoration. How will you, today, read the Bible and begin to mine its riches, finding God and Jesus, redemption and restoration, for your weary, sin-sick soul?

Let's continue our study with 2 John 1-6

Study 9, 2 John 1-6- https://www.docdroid.net/b2hoFVP/study-9-docx

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