Growing Younger
John Fischer

Last week I discussed physical therapy as an illustration of spiritual growth. Even while I was writing that, I was also thinking about another aspect of faith that sometimes works the other way. It’s good to grow older in some ways, but it’s also good to grow younger in others.

Sometimes, we are bolder when we are younger in faith because we don’t know any better. We simply believe God like a child and venture out trusting He is with us. And you know what? He is.

When my wife first became a Christian, she was a flight attendant for a major airline. She and another fellow-believer would bid flights together for support and encouragement, but they would also bravely ask God for two things on each flight: one person to introduce to Jesus, and another believer who would, in turn, encourage them. They would purposely bid the shortest flights (usually the least desirable legs so they were easy to get), because they could get more of them in (as many as five in a day) thus giving God more of an opportunity to work through them. As she tells the story, God took them up on the challenge and fulfilled their request every time, sometimes in miraculous ways. (One time they were walking off a flight somewhat disappointed having not found a fellow-believer to encourage them, when who should they run into in the jetway, boarding early for the next flight, but Billy Graham!) I can’t help but think this all made God smile.

Then I think of all the bold things I did, and expected God to do, over 30 years ago during the Jesus movement when we could gather a crowd anywhere on the streets by singing about Jesus. What’s the deal now? Have I gotten too “old” to expect these things?

Growing in Christ never means you stop being a child. If you’ve ever been around a new believer, or you are one yourself, you will know what I mean. And this kind of childlike faith should never be over. Actually, it should be on the rise. Sure we will grow older in the faith, but we should also think about how we can grow younger as well.

Where do you need to trust God today? Was your faith stronger in some ways when you were a younger Christian? Where do you need to “grow younger” now?

PDL