The wonder of growth

Today: 2 Peter

I've been up since 4:00 AM this morning...and now it's 11:20 PM (in my current timezone). It's been a long day of traveling in airports and on airplanes. I really don't travel a lot, but today I realized just how used to it I'm getting...and maybe not in a good way.

I had this realization while sitting on my last flight, across the aisle from a young boy who was about five years old. When the airline safety video played, I was reading a magazine, while he sat mesmerized. When the plane took off, I was still reading the magazine while he strained his head to peek out the window. And when we landed at our destination, I was waking up from a nap while he exclaimed, "WHOA! That was AWESOME! How did it do that? I've never seen that before!"

The little boy was filled with the wonder of flying, while I was just wondering when I'd finally reach my hotel, grab dinner and check my office e-mail.

I think sometimes our relationships with God can be like our relationships with flying. In today's passage, Peter talked about the importance of continually growing:

So don't lose a minute

in building on what you've been given,

complementing your basic faith

with good character,

spiritual understanding,

alert discipline,

passionate patience,

reverent wonder,

warm friendliness,

and generous love,

each dimension fitting into and developing the others.

With these qualities active and growing in your lives,

no grass will grow under your feet,

no day will pass without its reward

as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus.

Without these qualities you can't see what's right before you,

oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.

Peter's message here rings so true today in light of my experience today with a little boy on an airplane (who was even wearing the plastic "wings" pin!). God deserves my reverent wonder...if I lose it and stop growing, I begin to take Him for granted. I'll miss the blessings in front of my face and become oblivious to the sheer gift that is salvation. I never want that to happen.

And on my next flight, I may strain to peek out the window, clap when the plane lands or ask for some plastic wings. Why not?

P.S. Dear blog followers--I'm on the road this week and may have unreliable Internet access. However, I promise I'll write daily and eventually get everything on the site...just know that the postings may be a little delayed.