Happenings 8 March 2019

My sister went to a class reunion a while ago, where people she had gone to school with got together to compare memories and histories. For many present, this was the first time they had seen each other in over three decades. These kind of events fascinate me. I guess it’s my science background – comparing data points over time etc. (I know … kinda geeky!), so I asked my sister what stood out to her. Her response did fascinate me. She said she was amazed at how little people had changed. The basic character and personality of people she knew at 17 remained the same 30 years later; people behaved at the reunion in the same ways as they had behaved on the school ground. Admittedly, the reunion was only a small shapshot in a specific social setting, but I was surprised. It got me thinking … am I any different to who I was 30 years ago? I was a ‘mixed bag’ of good and bad back then, and I know I’m the same now, but has there been progress? Have I grown? Have I left baggage behind and developed in areas that actually matter? Would people look at me and see that a resemblance to Jesus is a little bit easier to make out? Or are a few grey hairs the only real change with the passage of time? In science, one of the signs of life is ‘growth’. In our journey with Jesus, growth is also a sign of spiritual life. May it be that when we see Jesus in glory, he looks at us with a smile and says, “You’ve grown!”

In Him,

Murray