One of my children survived on milk alone for the first six months of his life. Then, almost like the flip of a switch, he began to notice something very suspicious: Mommy was putting a foreign object into his mouth.
Welcome to the wonderful and messy world of solid foods.
It was a sure and healthy sign that he was growing from a totally dependent infant into an increasingly independent — and very hungry — child.
As I’ve watched this developmental process unfold in all four of my children, I’ve often thought about God’s call for us, as His children, to grow from spiritual “infants” who still need milk into mature spiritual adults who can receive the “solid food” of His deeper truths. Hebrews 5:12–13 speaks very directly about this.
God’s design was never that we stay the same. Stagnation was never the plan. We are called to be transformed into His image “with ever-increasing glory,” and thankfully, this comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). As the familiar saying goes, “God loves us too much to let us stay the same.”
Summer can be a good time to pause and ask: What kind of growth are we actually cultivating in our homes?
When the school year begins again, the calendar fills quickly. Homework, activities, church, friendships, meals, bedtimes — it all comes rushing back. So before those rhythms begin, it is worth asking what kind of people we are becoming, and what kind of people we are forming our children to become.
If maturity is the goal, then what does it look like?
Here are five biblical themes that may give us a fuller picture of spiritual maturity — not just for us as individuals, but for our families.
The apostle Paul describes the goal of his ministry as presenting everyone mature, or complete, in Christ (Colossians 1:28). Wholeness points to an undivided heart.
For our families, this may mean asking: Are our homes centered around God, or are we being pulled in many directions without noticing? Are our children seeing in us a steady devotion to Christ, or a divided heart?
Before the school year begins, we might ask: What needs to be simplified, reordered, or surrendered so that our family can seek God first?
Biblical maturity does not mean escaping hardship. It means learning to endure faithfully through it. James 1:2–4 and Romans 5:3–4 both remind us that trials can produce perseverance, character, and hope.
Family life gives us plenty of opportunities for endurance: tired mornings, sibling conflict, disappointments, transitions, unanswered prayers, and long obedience in the same direction.
One writer describes endurance as “the growing capacity to experience disappointment and challenge with grace, courage and resolve.”
That sounds like something worth forming in our children — and in ourselves.
Where is your family being invited to practice endurance right now?
Jesus prayed that those who believe in Him would know the same love He received from the Father (John 17:26). We also see Jesus regularly withdrawing to pray, to commune with His Father, and to be renewed.
If Jesus needed that rhythm, surely we do too.
As parents, we can sometimes focus so much on getting our children to behave well that we forget the deeper invitation: to know and love God.
What small practices might draw your family nearer to Him this year? A prayer before school? Scripture at breakfast? A Sabbath rhythm? A bedtime blessing? A few honest minutes of silence?
The goal is not a perfect family devotional life. The goal is a home where God is known, loved, spoken of, and sought.
Paul prays that believers would be able to “discern what is best” (Philippians 1:10). James also tells us that if we lack wisdom, we can ask God, who gives generously (James 1:5).
Families need wisdom all the time.
We need wisdom about screens, friendships, discipline, rest, school choices, activities, money, conflict, and how to say yes and no with courage.
The school year will bring decisions. Some will be small. Some will feel weighty. But we do not have to make them alone.
Where does your family need wisdom right now?
A final theme of biblical maturity is fruitfulness. Ephesians 4:14–16 describes the Body of Christ growing as each part does its work. Jesus also tells His disciples, “I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit — fruit that will last” (John 15:16).
This is a beautiful vision for family life.
Our homes are not just places where we survive the week. They are places where faith, love, service, courage, hospitality, repentance, forgiveness, and joy can take root.
Each child has gifts. Each parent has gifts. Each family has something to offer.
So we might ask: What kind of fruit is growing in our home? And what kind of fruit do we long to see grow in the year ahead?
After looking at these five marks of maturity — wholeness, endurance, intimacy with God, wisdom, and fruitfulness — where do you sense God inviting your family to grow?
Perhaps most of us are somewhere in between milk and solid food. Still growing. Still learning. Still hungry.
The good news is that God delights in even the desire to grow. Spiritual maturity does not happen overnight, and family formation is rarely neat and tidy. But as we walk with Him day by day, He changes us from the inside out.
So before the year begins again in full force, perhaps take some time to prayerfully ponder:
Lord, how do You want our family to grow?
From My Heart and Home to Yours,
Ali
Homes of Glory provides biblical encouragement & practical tips to help families stay grounded and growing in Jesus Christ.
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