There's a trend lately that has been bothering me a little. It happens every once in a while - trendy sayings or things that bother me for no good reason whatsoever, but... get off my lawn anyway!
The biggest one in recent years for me as been the word "selfie". It grates on my nerves. Seriously. It annoys me. I can't even say the word without a sneer or in a mocking tone. Don't ask me why... because I don't know, it just does.
And while this new one is not near that magnitude, I feel like there is something important to say here. Can we stop with the "adulting" trend? You know, somebody will complain about paying bills, or going to work, or getting up before 8:00 a.m. and talk about how they just can't even "adult" today. Stop it. Just... stop it.
"Adulting" is not a thing. "Adult" is a noun, not a verb. Stop trying to make it a thing!
I know, I know. Give me a break, or at least hear me out on this one.
An "adult" is not something you do; it's who you are. Look, I get it. Growing up is hard sometimes. Does anybody ever really feel like a grownup? What is the criteria? I don't know. Really, I don't. I have some ideas (which you'll see in a minute), but I don't have anything definitive. However, let's stop putting the brakes on life and embrace the reality of what is.
If you are out of high school, if you have a steady job or are working towards a career, if you live on your own (or with roommates, because, let's face it, life is expensive at times), you are an adult. You don't have to feel like an adult. I have two kids, a wife of 15 years, pets, a (semi)professional job (like, I wear a tie to work sometimes), and I still don't "feel like an adult" sometimes. Who cares?! I am one. And, instead of trying to extend adolescence, let's just be who we are - deeply flawed, scared (and sometimes scarred), and perhaps slightly unprepared for the world.
An adult is something you are, not something you do.
Now, I know I've promised that this would be a blog about the journey of discipleship. So, what does this have to do with discipleship? When we decide to follow Jesus, a disciple is what we are, not what we do. Embrace the reality. Live the life. Walk the walk of faith. And here's what you will find. You will never feel like a full-blown disciple of Jesus Christ. You will never feel like you have arrived.
That doesn't matter. In fact, I would feel more worried about you if you did feel like you have arrived because that's when we slip into complacency and fall away from our faith.
Our life of discipleship is not based on how we feel; it's based on our relationship with Jesus Christ. Discipleship is not about what you do; it's who you are - a follower of Jesus Christ.
