Shrinking
I'm shrinking. It's true.
The house I grew up in since I was 8 has a chart on the wall in my parents' master bedroom. There are hash marks all along the wall, noting the growth of us "kids" and in recent years adding the grandkids. Each mark has a name and date to indicate growth. It's funny to see the barely two feet tall marks from the little ones.
E's 5 year check-up had him measured at the doctor but it was time to measure his growth on the wall. Just for kicks, I thought I'd measure up...only I didn't.
Almost a half inch. That's how much height I've lost since the last measurement several years ago. It seems odd, considering I waited until college to hit a several-inch growth spurt. Then again, college was...ahem...more than a decade ago.
So the descent has begun. I was claiming every single bit of my 5 feet 4 and one quarter inches. I guess I'm thankful I have a really good 3-4" inch heel collection! Nonetheless, I'm not too happy about the vertical effort I've lost.
Just the other day I was teaching E a song I learned in bible school:
"Read your bible, pray everyday and you'll grow, GROW, GROW!!!"
The next verse is what got me.
"Don't read your bible, forget to pray, and you'll SHRINK, Shrink, shrink..."
It's a harsh reality - but true. I'm asking the question of myself - am I growing or shrinking?
You can't be a "spiritual giant" if you aren't daily nurturing and feeding your soul. I am ashamed to admit my stunted growth.
I wonder what my "spiritual growth chart" would look like on the wall of my life. I imagine the hash marks would be up and down. I could probably pinpoint dates of growth and yet others of spiritual shrinkage.
I guess the good news is, unlike my lost half inch of height, this is one type of growth I can control. This is one vertical challenge I can rise to meet. This is an area where I may not always measure up, but it's one that I can choose to focus my efforts on and achieve growth.
How about you? Are you growing or shrinking today? The simple recipe in that childhood song is a great reminder to this adult of how to get my height back!
The house I grew up in since I was 8 has a chart on the wall in my parents' master bedroom. There are hash marks all along the wall, noting the growth of us "kids" and in recent years adding the grandkids. Each mark has a name and date to indicate growth. It's funny to see the barely two feet tall marks from the little ones.
E's 5 year check-up had him measured at the doctor but it was time to measure his growth on the wall. Just for kicks, I thought I'd measure up...only I didn't.
Almost a half inch. That's how much height I've lost since the last measurement several years ago. It seems odd, considering I waited until college to hit a several-inch growth spurt. Then again, college was...ahem...more than a decade ago.
So the descent has begun. I was claiming every single bit of my 5 feet 4 and one quarter inches. I guess I'm thankful I have a really good 3-4" inch heel collection! Nonetheless, I'm not too happy about the vertical effort I've lost.
Just the other day I was teaching E a song I learned in bible school:
"Read your bible, pray everyday and you'll grow, GROW, GROW!!!"
The next verse is what got me.
"Don't read your bible, forget to pray, and you'll SHRINK, Shrink, shrink..."
It's a harsh reality - but true. I'm asking the question of myself - am I growing or shrinking?
You can't be a "spiritual giant" if you aren't daily nurturing and feeding your soul. I am ashamed to admit my stunted growth.
I wonder what my "spiritual growth chart" would look like on the wall of my life. I imagine the hash marks would be up and down. I could probably pinpoint dates of growth and yet others of spiritual shrinkage.
I guess the good news is, unlike my lost half inch of height, this is one type of growth I can control. This is one vertical challenge I can rise to meet. This is an area where I may not always measure up, but it's one that I can choose to focus my efforts on and achieve growth.
How about you? Are you growing or shrinking today? The simple recipe in that childhood song is a great reminder to this adult of how to get my height back!
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