Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It was cool, and a little on the dreary side, the first thing this morning – or at least I wasn’t able to feel the warmth of the sun on my face the way I love to feel it this time of year – and at first I was disappointed. When I looked around, I realized that I’m the only living creature at the farm that seems to be bothered by a cool, dreary morning. The deer stumbled out of their hiding place and went on to graze in the fields, and the birds were singing the same tune as they do on a clear and sunny day. When I took my childish attitude before the Throne of the God of all Creation, and I turned to my Instruction Manual to search for Wisdom for this new day, He kept pointing me to Words that emphasized the need to “grow up.” The message came across Loud and Clear, and I felt ashamed for having even one selfish thought about something as simple as the sun not shining on my face! So I got taken to the Spiritual Woodshed this morning with a little Lesson on Maturity, and I’m looking at the gloomy sky with clear Vision now, giving thanks for the cool air and the clouds that were shielding the sun this morning. Isn’t that the way God deals with your immaturity, too?

There’s a good side of “never growing up” that I wish everybody had – it’s that place where excitement can flow through the soul over the tiniest little thing. It’s that place where saying “Look at God!” becomes a “routine” thing because God can be seen in all things. Like a child on a Christmas morning, the ones who refuse to “grow up” look at the world with rose-colored glasses – with a Heart expecting nothing but Good. It’s that kind of attitude that enjoys the moment, and the one that never misses out on an opportunity to laugh at life. I like that part of “never growing up,” and I think the world needs more people like that. But there’s another kind of “never growing up” that thwarts the growth of the Heart, the Soul, and every relationship we encounter, and it always will when we refuse to Grow up. There are conflicts within marriages, families, and with friends that all stem from the refusal to grow up. Each one wants what they want when they want it, and each one kicks and stomps like a child when they don’t get their way. They spit out hurtful words like children on a playground, and they’re too centered on themselves to care about what their words do to someone else. It takes Maturity to step back from conflict, and it takes a little “growing up” to admit wrong and to ask for forgiveness. Sadly, many people refuse to “grow up,” and they’ll trade their Peace and Joy all because they’re content with the Heart and attitude of a child. Spiritual Maturity is the Key to Contentment.

There’s another kind of “never growing up” that prevents us from knowing the Fulfillment of God. It’s not enough to know Who He is, and it’s not enough to Read His Words…at some point, we need to Plant the Seeds of what we Learn so that we can move from being a “child” into a “grown-up” Christian. Some people of Faith turn to other people of Faith, and they wonder how they got where they are. Some are jealous, and some are envious, and some spend an entire Lifetime saying “why not me?” while they sit in the Spiritual playground refusing to Grow up. These people whine about what God’s doing or not doing in their Lives, and they’ll compare where they are with where the others are, like they’ve somehow been left out. They’ll say “I don’t know what God wants” or “I don’t know why I’m here,” but they’re like children refusing to grow up – and they never seem to move past their disappointment, all because they’re Spiritual children stuck in an adult body. All they really need to do to Grow up is to be willing to Plant the Seed of what they’ve Learned, and to Nurture the Seeds of their Faith to help it Grow. But they refuse because, like a child, they don’t volunteer for the hard stuff…they’d rather wallow in the playground instead.

Mature Christians have the Desire to Grow up, and they’ll do whatever it takes to get there. They understand that it takes Hard Work to Nurture that tiny little Seed to help it grow into Maturity, and they’re willing to Work hard for it every day. They move from a place of wanting what they want when they want it, and they understand the Value of Words. They learn to Sacrifice in His Name, and they learn to Equip themselves for the Journey. Mature Christians are always hungering for more of Him because they Understand how Sweet the Fruit is that is picked from a Mature tree. Mature Christians learn not to focus solely on head knowledge because they’ve come to realize that God cares a whole lot more about the Heart than he does the head, and they understand the importance of Application over IQ. Mature Christians “never get enough” of the Heart Lessons that lead to Spiritual Growth, and they find their Joy and their Peace by applying what they Learn. Mature Christians have found their Humility…the Key to Spiritual Maturity.

In many ways, I refuse to grow up because I like looking at the world through the eyes of a child, and I enjoy laughing at myself (and the world around me) well beyond what most people do. I’m inquisitive and LOVE to figure out how (and why) things work, and, like a child with a zillion questions, I can easily drive someone crazy in the process. But it’s that side of me that compels me to want to Know more about the people around me, and if I can understand what makes them “tick”, then I can easily Present Jesus Christ to them as their Solution for all things. When you look at it that way, seeing Life through the eyes of a child isn’t such a bad thing after all.

I began this new day with the attitude of a spoiled brat, but He set me Straight because I SOUGHT HIM the way a Mature Christian does. When it comes to being a Grown-up Christian, I’m determined to put in the Work that it takes to Grow the Seed of my Faith into Maturity. It’s through the Maturity that God can use me, and it’s through the Maturity that I find my Fulfillment. I’m surrounded by Love, and Peace, and Joy, and Contentment, and Treasures ALL BECAUSE I’m putting in the Work it takes to be a Grown-up Christian every single day.

How about you?

1 Corinthians 13:11 – When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.