raebates
Staff member
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I'm still wading through the massive amount of emails waiting for me when I returned from NC. This one really struck a cord with me. I receive a weekly thought from www.breakfastwithfred.com. Fred Smith is a Christian motivator. He's great. In light of some of the important things I took away from NC, I love the timing of this article.
Maturity and Security
A secure person sees everything as a challenge; an insecure person sees everything as a threat.
Maturity is not a destination. Holding the course is the purpose of Christian discipline. What is that course? Perfection in Christ. Even though we will never attain it, we hold the direction and move toward the goal. Those who claim it as their earthly destination will fail and will prove their immaturity. Perfection is in their minds, but we know true perfection is only having the mind of Christ.
Maturity has no timetable, no completed process, no numbered steps. But the secure understand there is a process and can relax in knowing they are closer than when they first believed.
Insecure people become dramatic about their problems. They subconsciously want to have problems too large for themselves so they won't be held accountable for their solution. They can't be blamed for what is beyond them. Security allows problems to be recognized as manageable. Secure people take ownership of their problems.
There is real satisfaction in maturity: fewer mistakes need correction, fewer relational fences need mending; and most of all, many more right actions are taken that reap great benefits.
Maturity is certainly not synonymous with old age. Too many of us mistakenly assume that aging and maturity are on parallel courses. Look around you - there are as many immature, insecure, selfish, narrow-minded old folks as there are self-centered adolescents. They will never ripen, they will just age and rot.
Maturity is a secure path we choose consciously and follow conscientiously.
This week carefully consider: 1) What are my areas of security and maturity? 2) What areas trouble me with their lack of progress? 3) How can I set an example at work, at church, at home of emotional and spiritual maturity?
Maturity and Security
A secure person sees everything as a challenge; an insecure person sees everything as a threat.
Maturity is not a destination. Holding the course is the purpose of Christian discipline. What is that course? Perfection in Christ. Even though we will never attain it, we hold the direction and move toward the goal. Those who claim it as their earthly destination will fail and will prove their immaturity. Perfection is in their minds, but we know true perfection is only having the mind of Christ.
Maturity has no timetable, no completed process, no numbered steps. But the secure understand there is a process and can relax in knowing they are closer than when they first believed.
Insecure people become dramatic about their problems. They subconsciously want to have problems too large for themselves so they won't be held accountable for their solution. They can't be blamed for what is beyond them. Security allows problems to be recognized as manageable. Secure people take ownership of their problems.
There is real satisfaction in maturity: fewer mistakes need correction, fewer relational fences need mending; and most of all, many more right actions are taken that reap great benefits.
Maturity is certainly not synonymous with old age. Too many of us mistakenly assume that aging and maturity are on parallel courses. Look around you - there are as many immature, insecure, selfish, narrow-minded old folks as there are self-centered adolescents. They will never ripen, they will just age and rot.
Maturity is a secure path we choose consciously and follow conscientiously.
This week carefully consider: 1) What are my areas of security and maturity? 2) What areas trouble me with their lack of progress? 3) How can I set an example at work, at church, at home of emotional and spiritual maturity?
