READ: MATTHEW 6:25-34; 11:28-30; LUKE 2:40-52; EPHESIANS 5:15-17

When you see little kids playing, do you ever find yourself getting a little nostalgic for those “good old days” when you didn’t have any responsibilities? The older we get, the more time we spend on school, chores, part-time jobs, extracurriculars, or volunteer work. Meanwhile, little kids spend their days playing, coloring, exploring, and napping.

The truth is, we all need some time to relax and have fun. God calls us to rest and enjoy His good gifts often! But it’s also true that as we get older, we enter different stages of life. Kids need to spend a lot of time playing in order to learn and grow. But as we get older, we have different opportunities to learn by studying and taking on more responsibilities. The little kid stage of life isn’t better—just different.

It’s normal to have very few responsibilities when you’re a little kid, but by the teenage years, that changes. And that’s a good thing. We wouldn’t want to spend every day playing with blocks and finger paint, after all! If we didn’t ever challenge ourselves or learn new things, how could we mature? While schoolwork and chores and part-time jobs may sometimes get mundane or difficult, God uses these things to help us grow and know Him more and more.

At this stage in life, even Jesus spent time learning and growing, all the while preparing to sacrifice His life for us. He loves us that much. So we can talk to God about all the exciting and challenging things that come with growing up. He knows what it’s like. We’ll have more and more responsibilities as we get older, but these responsibilities don’t have to be burdensome because we can trust God to care for all our needs and help us mature as we follow Him.

Growing up can be hard, but God created us to learn and grow through different stages of life, and He’ll use the things we learn to help us know Him better and point others to Him. As we follow Jesus, He’ll help us make the most of every opportunity to learn. • A. W. Smith

• As we approach adulthood, our responsibilities continue to grow. And Jesus will be with us every step of the way. How can stewarding our responsibilities well now help us prepare to have more responsibilities later?

• What are some responsibilities you have now that you didn’t have when you were a little kid? What have you learned through them? What new things have you learned about God and about yourself as you’ve grown up?

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18 (NIV)