Growing Like Jesus in 2009

I have a favorite Bible verse for this time of year: Luke 2:52. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men. At Christmas we talk a lot about when Jesus was born. Pretty soon it will be Easter and we'll be talking about when Jesus died and rose again. In between we may read about his miracles or his teachings or stories about his disciples. But aside from the story about him teaching in the temple as a young teenager (Great story to read when you're having a bad mommy day...if Mary and Joseph could lose the son of God for a couple days some of my problems start to seem a little smaller!) we don't read much about his childhood. But I love this verse that summarizes his growing up. I love it because it points out four different areas where we can grow too.

Look carefully and think about ways that you - and your children - can grow like Jesus in 2009. The four areas in the verse are intellectual (wisdom), physical (stature), spiritual (favor with God) and social (favor with men). Think of one goal for each of these four areas for yourself and your kids.

Maybe you'd like to take a class, start learning a foreign language or just read a book that doesn't have pictures in it! For your children, an age-appropriate goal might be to learn colors, shapes or the alphabet.

Choose a physical goal that is actually attainable - literally growing in stature doesn't work; believe me - I've tried. A physical goal could be in regard to eating healthier, adding more activity into your lifestyle, or learning a new sport, and similar goals could be made for things you want to work on with your kids.

A spiritual goal could have to do with reading the Bible more often, memorizing certain verses or praying FIRST instead of as a last resort. For our children it may mean taking them to Sunday School, starting them in AWANA, or teaching them to pray out loud by repeating after you.

Social goals for our kids may involve making new friends, practicing sharing or learning manners. For us adults, it may mean being more intentional about practicing hospitality or not gossiping.

Will you take the Luke 2:52 Challenge with me? Pick one goal for each area. Write it down. Tell someone and ask them to check in with you periodically throughout the year. Whether we like it or not, we will get older this year and so will our children. So let's be intentional in our growth for 2009.