I’m grown

“But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” – Psalms 37:11

When I think about what it means to be a Christian, that is, a true follower of Christ, I cant help but to remember reading as a child about the compassion and humility of Jesus that was displayed toward all men. Here it stands, the King of kings and Lord of lords – who by our standards (and Jewish belief) had every conceivable reason to be gaudy in appearance and high minded within Himself– remained humble in every encounter He had with the world.

Shall we not as Christians take the same path as our walk way? In the word of God, and in Jesus’ own ministry, much emphasis is placed on the spirit of humility. After all, it is no irony that Jesus is known as the lamb of God – innocence and meekness are His character.

On the contrary, I have seen and heard far too often several of us Christians – and I say “us” because I too have been guilty - make the declaration that “I’m grown”. I never really gave it much thought until a recent observation renewed the thought and led me to give further consideration to the statement. What I have discerned is that “I’m grown” is a spirit - an ungodly spirit that is directly attached to pride and is the converse of accountability. For the sake of those that do not feel comfortable with the idea of having a “spirit” in them, I’ll use the term “mindset”. Such a stronghold as this mindset is detrimental to the Christian walk because it alleviates one from having to answer to those in authoritative position. Or so it seems. Furthermore, if there is an irreverence for authority, one should certainly dismiss the rule and pleading of the least of men. Basically, “I’m grown” feels “I don’t have to answer to anyone”.


In his various letters to the church, Paul stresses the importance of interdependency among the saints, knowing that independence and division – as a result of pride – accomplishes nothing. In Romans 12:3-4 Paul admonishes every man “not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office.” He is clear to point out the fact that we are not all the same, nor do we all possess the same gifts and talents, yet we all work together as one to accomplish the assignment that Christ (our Head) has appointed us. He says there are many members within this body and all were not designed to do the same thing, thus we cannot all serve the same function, but no man is to think of himself as being a greater member than another on the basis of his function. Consider the possibility that the function of a greater member is dependent upon that of a lesser. A hand cannot function as a hand ought to function if its fingers are not in compliance. We need each other. Further, we must be mindful that in this body, Christ is the head; therefore He controls all things, and our dependency and function rests in Him. Often times, we fail to remember that our successes and achievements are not of our own merit. It is by the Grace of God that we possess the gifts and talents that we do, and it is with the encouragement and help of others (also ordained by God) that we progress. We are NOTHING without God, and it is imperative that we never forget that fact.

In an 2002 interview for the release of his cd Remember, Christian artist Jason Upton makes this statement: “For me, ‘remembering’ often makes me deal with the truth about how dependent I really am. I believe that this is particularly important in Western Civilization where such a high value is placed on independence. I think ‘remembering’ puts independence in its proper place. The truth is that we are not independent at all; and our forgetfulness of this truth epitomizes our sinful condition. ‘Remember’, he says, ‘is one of the most frequently repeated commands in the Old Testament. Even God Himself, as revealed through the prophets, appears as much a reflective and contemplative Being as one Who focuses only on the future. That the God and Father of us all and the Creator of the universe would take time to ‘remember’ should give us some idea of the importance of such a discipline.’”

As it relates, the harm in “forgetting” is that it gives way to conceit. We tend to believe that “we deserve” or “we” did this or “we” did that as if “we” really matter. The independently proud shall be no more remembered than the dependent humble when he has passed. The story of their lives shall be consider after their passing, but the greater of the two stories will be that of humility and compassion, not of boastful arrogance. The unforeseen danger that awaits the independently proud is an inevitable self destruction – isolation from others - and a greater spiritual destruction –separation from God. The word of the Lord tells us that the way that seems right unto man results in death. This occurs when man chooses to follow his own path, leaning to his own understanding rather than trusting in the Lord who has designed us to be dependent solely on Him.

“…Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” - James 4:6 - 10