Grow Up...

My niece, Scout Olive, was born 10 days ago, and when I went to visit I took over 70 pictures (in 4 days), and think I need a support group due to major infatuation with her precious cheeks. My sister, Courtney, was showing me the ropes of motherhood, and my oh my there is quite a lot to do with something so small.

One day I was just praying over her and I was just praying that God would reveal something through my time with her, and as I was driving back home my sister sent me a picture of something that compelled me to think about maturity and surrender...

Her dried up umbilical chord that had fallen off (take a brief intermission to gag if you need to and then get over it and come back)

I began to think about how Scout used to get all her nutrients from that chord, but now it is dried up and useless (and pretty gross). Now she gets a bottle every two to three hours. And it would be pretty ridiculous for me to try to shove a bottle into her belly button and expect her to get nourishment from it, grow stronger, or sustain her life.

And as moronic as that sounds, we are guilty of trying to feed ourselves in preposterous ways, We resort to things we USED to, thinking it will bring us life, and in reality it does the opposite and leaves us frustrated and looking foolish.

1 Peter 2:1-3 Talks about getting rid of all malice of every kind, SO THAT you may "grow up in your salvation." Now what are the implications of not ridding ourselves of these things daily?...

-death
-immaturity
-severed relationships
-selfishness
-hatred
-unfaithfulness
-lack of desire
-lack of peace, joy, patience

The list could go on and on, and I challenge you to sit down and write down what it's truly costing you to hold onto to something that is destructive. What is it costing others to see you enslaved and in bondage to fleshly desires and sin? What if your "thing" is costing not just your freedom, but someone else THEIR freedom?