Birthday party...

Birthday party...

I remember my first children's birthday party.  I was in kindergarten. It was a dress up party. We were to wear our dress up clothing, so each of us little girls wore one of our mother's dresses. I had on a hat, white gloves and high heeled shoes, necklace.
Somewhere in the boxes of pictures there is a picture of me in this outfit..it was a happy, fun time...we played games that fit the theme, had fun little refreshments of tea cakes. Our take home gifts were little plastic see through purses with pretend lipstick, and makeup...what fun to pretend we were older, clomping around in over-sized clothing and shoes...we were playing like we were ladies in tiny bodies...

Later my children played dress up as well, Cowboys, circus, princesses, trapeze artists, hunters, cooks and bakers, dancers, doctors and nurses....what adventures were had....

Then my grandchildren did and are doing the same thing...pretending...practicing to be adults...from their little worlds to entering the adult world...so fun and so fast...from pretend to real....maturing in so many ways...

It is fun to pretend, but at some point, we grow up in our minds and bodies and hopefully in our minds...and become mature adults, no longer dressing up in costumes but real clothes that fit real lives...

As well as our thoughts mature, we are no longer babes, but our faith must grow as well...real life stories and experiences help us mature in our faith...we look at God's Word as real with meaning for our lives not just platitudes or stories, but what He wants us to take a hold of for ourselves...what He speaks to each of us in our hearts and minds...not pretending ....

Thank YOU for speaking to our hearts, minds and souls...You mature and transform us into your likeness day by day...no pretending anymore...

1 Corinthians 14:20 Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.

1 Corinthians 3:2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.

Ephesians 4:15-16 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.