Growing Up Gracefully

Eighteen. Somehow, my oldest child is turning 18. That number feels impossible. I can remember when we were celebrating first steps and first words.  And I’m feeling all the things — proud, amazed, nostalgic… maybe a little undone. Now I’m watching Grace become an adult, and I can’t help but ask: How did that happen so fast?

Over these past couple of years, I’ve seen a fierce, compassionate spirit rise up in Grace. A deep love for justice. A holy fire to speak up for those who are overlooked, dismissed, or harmed by a world that too often forgets the image of God in every person. 

Since last Sunday, I’ve been holding onto the beauty of John 1:14 from The Message: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” God didn’t shout love from a distance — God showed up, in person. In skin and story. Jesus was born into a family, lived among ordinary people, and eventually gave his life so that we might live fully.

And now? Jesus is still showing up — through the Church, through us. When I see Grace and other’s crossing boundaries, sharing life with those on the margins, and using their voice to lift others… that’s Christ at work. That’s the church moving into the neighborhood.

I’ve also been thinking about Luke 2:52: “Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.”  That one line reminds us Jesus had to grow, too. He was a child. He learned. He asked questions. He wasn’t healing or teaching from the start. He had to learn to crawl, walk, and then run, just like we all do. That’s comforting. It means growth is not just inevitable—it’s sacred. And it takes time.

It’s not just my child who’s growing — I am too. Every Bible study I teach, every sermon I prepare, I learn something new. Something I didn’t quite catch before. The Gospel is still teaching me. Stretching me. Shaping me. I don’t think that will ever stop and honestly, I pray it doesn’t.

To the parents reading this, especially those with little ones clinging to your legs and needing you every second of the day: I know it’s hard. I know it’s exhausting. I’ve been there. There is hope. But don’t rush through it, because it passes far quicker than you think. And one day, you’ll blink and find yourself where I am—marveling at the grown person your child is becoming.

Grace is growing. I’m growing. We all are. And through it all, God is with us — not far off, but right here. In our stories, our parenting, our church, and our becoming.

That’s the Good News, God is still alive, still unfolding, still moving into the neighborhood and transforming lives.
 

With Gratitude,

Rev. Rodney Whitfield
Senior Pastor
Aldersgate UMC