Does anybody ever grow up?

In a few months, I will celebrate another birthday. Interestingly, these birthdays come every year. This year, if I’ve kept up to date, I will celebrate my 75th birthday. I never expected to get this far along in life. I always thought 75 was old.
If I believe one of my old uncles, my 75th birthday amounts to 7+5 = 12. So I will be 12 years old in a few months. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like to be 12 once again. I guess I don’t know the difference between 75 and 12. There may not be much of a difference.
As a youngster, my mother would often say in a very sarcastic tone, “Are you ever going to grow up?” Sometimes she would say, “Just grow up.”
At the time, I didn’t quite understand what she was saying. By the time I reached 6 feet, I began to realize that wasn’t what she meant by growing up. Of course, I really don’t know what she meant by that.
Looking back over the years of my life, I’m not quite sure what it means to grow up. I can’t see anywhere in my life where I have actually grown up. Sure, I’ve gotten older, but I haven’t grown up.
I’m not sure I work hard enough throughout my life to grow up. Of course, not knowing what growing up means, how do I know if I got there?
I spent some time reflecting on my family and trying to figure out which one of them actually grew up. When I assumed one relative had grown up, they did something that completely destroyed the image I had of them.
What does growing up mean?
Getting older does not mean you’re actually growing up. I know a lot of old people who certainly do not show any signs of having grown up. For example, look at some of the politicians at the White House. If they represent what grown up is, then I do not want to grow up in any regard.
Back when I was in my teenage glory, I thought I knew everything. I thought I was smarter than my teachers, and of course, I was smarter than my parents at the time. I assumed that I had grown up back then. But as my life unwound, I saw very clearly that I was nowhere near being grown up.
My resolution for my birthday this year will be to discover what it actually means to be grown up. After I study that subject, I may come to the conclusion that I really don’t want to grow up.
Looking at the people around me and thinking they are grown-ups would make me want not to grow up, as far as that is concerned.
The only person I know who has honestly grown up is The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. After all, that’s why I married her. If she has grown up, then I don’t have to be grown up, which is the case all through these years of marital bliss.
Every once in a while, when I do something really stupid, she will reply to me and say, “Oh, why don’t you just grow up.”
Of course, if I knew what she meant by “grow up,” I might do a little bit about it. But I’m enjoying life too much to stop and try to figure out what it means to grow up. After all, one grown up in a marriage is all that is needed. Since she is a grown-up, I don’t have to worry about that at all.
This year, we will celebrate our 55th wedding anniversary. Throughout that time, I had never noticed that I had achieved any “grow up” status. All of that weighs on the shoulders of The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. She’s the grown-up in this relationship, and I’m very happy with that.
When you grow up, you lose a lot of fun times in your life. What is the purpose of that? I want to live life on the “Fun Train,” and my understanding is that you can’t ride it once you have grown up.
I have some friends that I’ve known for a very long time who think that they have grown up. According to what I see, because they have grown up, there are a lot of things that they can no longer do, things that are fun in life. They have sacrificed fun activities for the sake of being grown-ups.
Whatever somebody accuses me of doing something stupid, my excuse is, “I’m just not grown up yet.” That has gotten me out of many difficult situations.

When I’m ready, I’ll surrender to being grown up. Until then, I’m going to enjoy all of the fun things in life. When I run out of steam for enjoying these things, I will consider growing up.
As I was reflecting on this a Bible verse came to mind. 2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”
Honestly, I’m not sure what it means to “grow up”, but my focus as a Christian is seen in this verse. I am to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” The most important growth is my relationship with Christ.

Dr. James L. Snyder lives in Ocala, FL with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. Telephone 1-352-216-3025, e-mail jamessnyder51@gmail.com, website www.jamessnyderministries.com.