Our family loves to have ‘family dinners’ on random Sunday evenings when our schedules come together. We gather at one house, everyone brings something and for a couple of hours we catch up with each other while the cousins run around playing. My daughter and daughter-in-law are wannabe chefs so the food is always amazing. Just this past Sunday we had one and added to the mix were five extra teens invited by the two oldest granddaughters.
It was a mix of boys and girls, some were church friends and some were school friends. They hung out in the yard with music blasting while they alternated between baseball, croquet, a lot of flirting and a little talking.
When you looked out the window you were struck by one odd sight – the seven year old right in the middle of things. Yep, in her mind, Brinkley fit right in. No way was she going to miss her turn at bat or swing of the croquet mallot. When they took a break, circled up the lawn chairs and kicked back for a chat, she was right there taking part in the conversation.
I was chuckling to myself later thinking about how she wasn’t intimidated to be one of the group. She didn’t think about being seven. She didn’t think about the fact that the guests were her sisters’ friends, not hers. She didn’t care if the conversation was over her head some of the time. She was immersing herself in a ‘grown up’ world and taking it all in.
By the time Brinkley gets to her teen years, she’ll be well rehearsed thanks to her big sisters.
There’s a lesson there for all of us. If we want to be more educated in any area, we need to surround ourselves with people who are already more mature in that same area. What a great thought for Christians. Start hanging out with the ones who have done their homework and your homework becomes a whole lot easier.
Often we’re embarrassed or too insecure to seek the company of people who have walked their walk a lot longer that we have. We avoid Bible studies because we don’t want to look like fools when we can’t find the book of Jeremiah or Titus. We don’t get involved in spiritual discussions because we don’t have scriptures that fall off our tongue at a moment’s notice. We never pray out loud because we don’t feel eloquent or fluent.
Actually, the fastest way to get there is by osmosis. Let the people we admire in their spiritual maturity rub off on us. Watch, listen, elbow your way into the mix. Maybe you can’t hit the ball as hard as they can today but with practice and observation you’ll get there. The conversation may be over your head right now but the next time it will make more sense.
And don’t forget, everyone has something to bring to the party. Brinkley loved the older points of view and the more mature topics. The teens loved Brinkley’s cuteness and little girl outlook. Mature Christians love the enthusiasm and freshness of baby Christians and baby Christians thrive on the experience of mature Christians. And all together – we are the body of Christ.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Cor 12:27
