Saturday Sermonette - How to be a Grownup: Lesson No. 2

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 1 Corinthians 13:1, NKJV

Thinking back to when I was a youngster, we thought it was great fun to put on our parents' clothes and pretend to be adults. Now that I'm grown up--well, mostly--it's sometimes just as fun to play childish games. Over the next few Saturday Sermonettes, I'll be focusing on what a mature person should be aiming for in terms of becoming a grown-up Christian.

Sometimes truth hurts. An honest book review that points out what I did wrong in a book I write is sometimes painful enough to bring tears--but I will learn from it and my next book will be better. Other truths have hurt as much or more over my lifetime, but they have helped me grow not only in maturity but closeness with my beloved Lord.

Sometimes truth is freeing. Letting go of a lie, laying it at the feet of Jesus, confessing to a friend or family member that I haven't been totally honest, opens the door to trust. Remember the story of the Prodigal in Luke 15? Until the son confessed to his father what a fool he'd been and asked to become one of his servants, he was still a prisoner of his lies.

Self-deception is maybe the worst lie and the hardest to uncover. For instance--I had pushed the Lord to a back burner, intent on going my own way. However, since I was still going to church, I convinced myself I was still being "good." Or tried to. If I'd been honest with myself, I knew I had turned back into the mess I'd been before I met the Lord. It took a real heartbreak to make me realize just what lies I'd been telling myself. Thank goodness, His grace hadn't expired. He still loved me, sought me, and brought me back.

Is it time that you stopped lying, too?

Father, please help us find the courage and honesty to confess our dishonesty. Please wrap Your blanket of grace around me and grant me peace. Thank You, Lord!