Growing and Changing

My granddaughter, Amelie, recently asked me why everyone has different names. I said because we're all different people. This answer didn't satisfy her curious mind but that may be for another post.

Anyway, I've been doing a lot of thinking and soul-searching over the past several months [years even] and have recently made some changes in my life that are for the better. I also came to some realizations. These realizations are not new to me; neither are they profound - just simple facts of life...my life...all of our lives. It's just that, right now, they have become more meaningful to me than ever before.

First, despite a person's age [chronological and/or spiritual], we all grow and learn at different rates. This does not mean that one person is better than another. Just different.

Second, because of this, we [I] should be understanding, patient, forebearing of one another. This is not an easy matter.

Perhaps it's the many changes over the course of my life; perhaps it's the realization that I've come so close to making bad choices; perhaps it's the little bit of wisdom that I've acquired with age and experience that the following verses have been on my heart lately.

And so, dear reader, I leave them to your consideration.

"With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forebearing one another in love;"

Ephesians 4:2

"Forebearing one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."

Colossians 3:13