They're Growing Up

(Written March 20, 2007)

My husband went to pick out Easter outfits for our children the other day. We already had a dress for three-year-old Angela. We had found an adorable pink dress for her, and when we found it, we also picked up a matching one for Olivia who is almost six. We were concerned, though, about the dress for Olivia. She can still wear some size five clothes, but she really needed a size six. We really didn’t know if she could wear the size five. So, when Doug went in to another store to look for an outfit for little Steven, he looked for another dress for Olivia. There was only one problem. He had to go to a new department. No longer could he shop for Olivia in the toddler department. No longer could we buy those sweet matching dresses for our little girls – one in 3T and one in 5T. Now he had to go to the GIRL’S department!

“I can’t buy Olivia a dress,” Doug informed me when he called from the store. My heart sank as I thought about the current styles and realized that so many of the new looks are far too mature for six-year-olds. “Well, maybe the size five will do,” I responded. “That’s not what I meant,” he answered. “I just can’t let her look this grown-up!” Sure enough, Doug came out of the store with a beautiful purple flowered dress that would be perfect for our Olivia. Perfect in every way except for the fact that it greatly accentuates how quickly she is growing up!

The more I thought about our beautiful daughter, the more I realized that the signs of her growth are not any more profound than mine should be. What are MY signs of growth? Can people look at me and say, “My, how you’ve grown!” Can people tell that I am maturing? Can people tell that my spiritual “wardrobe” is needing to be obtained from a new department because I’ve outgrown the old department? Is it obvious? That is my desire - may my growth be visible. May it be profound. May it cause people to stop and say, "My how you've grown...more like Jesus!"