Lessons From a Crow

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”–Ephesians 4:14-15

I’ve been watching a young crow around my house this week. It is as large as an adult, but is clearly a youngster or adolescent bird—it has a shrill, whining cry, ruffles its feathers when an adult bird is around, and a couple days ago I saw a parent crow put some type of food into its scarlet-red open mouth.

Although it is clearly a juvenile of some sort, it acts like a baby. As I walk my dog or sit outside, I can hear it calling from the trees, a nasal “caw, caw, caw.” I also notice more than one adult bird attends to its needs, which gets quite a chorus of “caws” going… It clearly hasn’t grown up enough to fend for itself. I like to think of it as a teenager— some independence, but still dependent on mom and dad to feed it.

I think we sometimes hit a spot in our spiritual lives where we need to “grow up”. Paul is speaking to the church of Ephesus, describing how God gifts believers with grace and gifts to serve, with the result becoming united in Christ and maturing into the whole fullness of Christ (verses 7-13). We too need to mature, grow more and more like Christ, and depart from our immature ways.

A wise friend of mine says “Growth is always on the edge of uncomfortable.” In order to grow up, we must take risks. We must challenge ourselves. We must ask questions. We must find mentors. And faith is no different.

There are areas of my life where I have become too comfortable. How about you? Where might God be asking you to “grow up” and trust Him to take risks in your life? Where might you need to grow more like Christ? Pray for guidance, seek God’s will, and dive into growth this week!

Prayer–“Lord, help me to grow into deeper faith with you today. Show me areas where I need to “grow up”, so that I can grow out into the world, sharing your faith and love with others. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”