Summary: "I feel like cooking something," said Kris. "Can I fix supper? It'll be fun." "Sure," said Mom, "but Dad has a business dinner tonight, so it will just be you and Doug and me." "Let's have TV dinners then, okay?" asked Kris. "But can I make some extra potatoes? We have a box of instant mashed potato flakes, don't we? I know how to do them. And can I fix instant pudding for dessert? With whipped topping?" "If you like," agreed Mom. "I've already made a salad--it's in the refrigerator. We could have brown-'n-serve rolls, too. Think you can handle that?" "No problem," said Kris. She went to work, and soon the meal was ready. As they ate their dinner, they talked about what had happened that day. "Instead of collecting our homework, Mrs. Derks just asked if we had finished it," Kris reported. "Before school started, Natalie told me she hadn't done hers, but when Mrs. Derks asked her, she said it was all finished! Can you believe that?" "That's nothing unusual. Kids do that all the time," said Doug. "Yes, but she's supposed to be a Christian!" exclaimed Kris. "I felt like telling her off." "She hasn't been a Christian very long, though," said Doug. "I mean, we all do wrong things, too, and we've been Christians quite a long time." "Doug has a point," said Mom. "But she lied!" protested Kris as she got up to get their dessert. "I'm not excusing what Natalie did," said Mom, "and maybe you can lovingly remind her that God wants her to be honest, but don't be too hard on her." "Looks good!" said Doug when Kris set the instant pudding in front of him. "It does," agreed Mom. "You know, it occurs to me that these days we often get the idea that everything should be instant--like much of this meal is. Most of these things were easy and quick to fix because they're instant foods--they're pre-cooked. Sometimes we expect spiritual maturity to be like that, but it isn't." "So it's more like the salad you made?" Kris asked. "That took quite a bit of time, didn't it?" Mom nodded. "Yes, and it takes time to become a mature Christian, too. So don't expect too much too soon from Natalie. Give her time to learn and grow." How About You? Do you have friends who are new Christians? When you accept Jesus as your Savior, you are instantly saved--but you aren't instantly mature. Don't expect instant maturity from your friends, either. Pray for them, and learn to be patient as together you grow and learn more about God and what pleases Him. Today's Key Verse: We who are strong ought to bear with the scruples (failings) of the weak. (Romans 15:1) Today's Key Thought: Spiritual growth takes time
