I recently joined a Christian Synchroblog group and this month will be the first month that I participate. I have been really excited about doing this and I’m excited about this particular month’s topic as well. So, I wanted to share with you ahead of time what the topic is and a few initial thoughts I had on it. So, here it goes…
September 17th SynchroBlog: Maturity
When I first heard that the topic was maturity there were a few things that popped into my head. The first was that old Toys R Us jingle, “I don’t want to grow up cause I’m a Toys R Us kid, there’s a million toys at Toys R Us that I can play with.” And of course the Peter Pan song, “I’ll Never Grow Up.” I think generally as a culture we don’t like the idea of growing up, or maturing. In fact when I think of the word mature it makes me think of other words like “responsible”, “boring”, “dull”, “stuffy”, “mellow” etc. The picture that is often painted for us of maturity and adulthood in our culture is often one that most of us would rather avoid. But, maybe the picture we have of maturity and adulthood isn’t a fully true picture.
A little over a month ago I had an experience that is in stark contrast to the songs and images painted above. There were 3 of us sitting in a friend’s kitchen talking about our current lives and some struggles we were each having in our marriages and our families. Then one of my friends said something to the effect of “I just need to grow up” or “I wish I could just grow up.” Suddenly I saw the thoughts in my own head in their true immature light and it was like a slap in the face. My heart too longed to grow up. My other friend echoed the desire to grow up and within seconds we were all agreeing that deeper maturity was a need we each had. But, even as I acknowledged that need and desire there was something in me that fought against it.
Maturity isn’t easy. It comes at a cost. And I think deep down even though we desire a deeper maturity in our lives we avoid it maybe even making it out to be something we don’t desire by painting it in a negative light so that we won’t have to make the effort to get the real maturity that we so deeply need. I don’t want to settle for a false picture of maturity anymore. I don’t want to run away from the cost and difficulty of growing in maturity. I need to grow up in maturity in every area of my life – spiritually, mentally, emotionally, relationally and physically.
So, my question is what does it look like to become mature? How do we become truly mature adults? I don’t believe that just getting older will get us there, I think there is work that needs to be done, deep inner work to grow us up into maturity. So, what does that work look like? And how do we engage in it and help others engage in it? Those are the questions I want to address and write about for this synchroblog. And I would love to hear your thoughts on those questions and any experiences you may have in engaging in maturity as well.
If you want to be a part of this synchroblog you can learn more about it and join in the conversation here.
Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman
I believe maturity is a good thing. Through the process of sanctification, we allow God to work through us to make us more like Him. To be able to exhibit the fruits of the spirit. To be kind, even though we are not treated kindly. To see others with heavenly eyes, not earthly ones. Allow our speech to be seasoned with grace and be patient with those who are in a different part of that process than we are. To be able to be childlike , without being childish. To never lose our sense of awe and wonderment, even after knowing all that we do about our world. To show hospitality to others in a way that makes them feel special and welcome without regard for our own self. To look for the positive in not only others, but our situation. To have an attitude that not only is a sweet incense to God, but attracts and uplifts those around us.
I believe maturity is wisdom, the art of knowing how to live and treat others, and is a very lofty goal.
I have also learned that wisdom takes time and we need to be patient with ourselves through the process.
Lisa, I really like how you describe maturity – the examples you give are beautiful.
I have been thinking though about the association you made with maturity and wisdom being the same and I’m not sure I agree… I’m still thinking this through so maybe I am wrong and maybe I will change my mind later, but I think that maturity and wisdom are different – I think they can often go hand-in-hand, but maybe not always. And I would say that I think a wise person will also be a mature person, but I’m not sure that a mature person will always be wise.
I agree with you that wisdom is a “lofty goal” and something that takes a lot of time to develop and I would add that wisdom is NOT something that everyone attains. But, I think that maturity is something different – I think maturity isn’t really that lofty of a goal (although few seem to pursue it sometimes). I think maturity is much more attainable than wisdom. I don’t know maybe their not different… maybe I’m just noticing nuances in the words themselves, I don’t know…
Does anyone else have any thoughts??
[...] heard that the topic for this month’s synchroblog was “Maturity” I was excited. I even wrote a blog right away with some random thoughts on maturity. But, then it came time to actually write my [...]