Growing Pains

My daughter Karis is growing up. I love it, and I hate it.
One of our values for the church is growth. You can read them all along the side.

"We love Growth."

Why do we have this as a value?
Because we have to.
Because you don't plant something and then not encourage its growth.
Because the bible tells the story of God growing His church.

"So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow." 1 Corinthians 3:7

Here's what it really comes down to- if you don't state this as a value, the unspoken value of non-growth will take its place. We've probably all been with that church, or that group, that got to the place where it didn't want to change anymore. It didn't want to grow- it wanted to keep a grip on what it was.
While we were talking about growth with a group, my daughter Karis came into the room laughing and smiling- and holding her first baby tooth to fall out.
Outside I laughed and congratulated her. Inside, I honestly started to cry.
I love my Karis just how she is. I love her innocence. I love how the world is magic to her. I love that I'm the greatest man in her life.
I often joke about starting my kids on a diet of coffee and cigarettes to stunt their growth.
I don't want them to grow.
But I do.
The only thing worse than seeing your children grow would be seeing their growth stunted.
But it still doesn't make it any easier.
You can argue all you want about the abuses of growth. We all know them. We've all experienced them.
We will value the growth of God's church and God's children. It will be hard. It will even make us cry. But the alternative would be even worse.