Maturity Marches On

I agree with C. S. Lewis when he wrote, “Mere change is not growth. Growth is the synthesis of change and continuity. And where there is no continuity, there is no growth.” He went on to say that lack of maturity “consists not in refusing to lose the old things, but in failing to add new things.” Maturity, then, I would say, is always moving forward, experiencing the new while holding on to the old.

There is a pseudo-maturity today passing itself off as the real thing. You can always spot these fakers by the contempt they show others who are honestly struggling in the kindergarten of life, wanting to advance to a higher grade. This kind of individual is not manifesting maturity, but snobbery at its worst. These poor souls always want to give the impression they have arrived, while all the time, those they are trying to impress know they missed the train and are still standing on the platform.

Legitimate maturity is always gracious to an honest fault. It does not condemn weakness, but neither does it condone willful wrong. Immaturity can be tolerated but never iniquity. Maturity is patient with the former but has no time for the latter. There is a difference between weakness and wickedness!

A mature Christian is not hard to recognize. There is one characteristic they all possess. And that is, they always allow the inferior, sinning saint to imagine they are superior to themselves. They are secure in who they are. I am sure you are familiar with the story of godly Abraham and immoral Lot. Here we see maturity always wins out!

by an Old Disciple

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