Be More Mature

My nine-year-old granddaughter and I were having one of our frequent conversations. On that particular day, she wanted to talk about maturity —her maturity. Now that she was nine, she shared with me, she had new decisions to make.

New choices about the different colors she should wear, colors in her room, and even colors for her crafts. She emphasized that there are some things that she would normally do as a younger girl that she would not do anymore.

Needless to say, I enjoyed our time together and mused at her intelligence and maturity. Was it not a few days ago I lovingly cradled this precious bundle of joy in my arms? Now I am amazed by her maturity and the fluency of her thoughts.

Klarissa was thinking about petty things—girlish things that she wanted to let go of simply because she was older. But there are spiritual lessons to learn from her experience. When you were a spiritual babe, you were expected to behave like a babe, but now you are mature. You have put away childish behaviors.

What does it mean to be a more mature person when a difficult decision has to be made? How does a more mature person behave in a hostile situation where forgiveness is the only way forward? Whatever it is today that requires a more mature person, I invite you to pause and ask God to help you consider the areas where you need to mature and change your behaviors. Is it time to have the conversations and discuss the difficult matters you have been hiding from? Is it now time to be the mature person and reach out to that individual you have been at odds with for so long? Is it time to tackle the difficult decisions about how to care for your older parents —where it would be best for them to live, where they will receive the best care, and what you are just not able to handle right now? Whatever the situation, I pray that today you would be the more mature person, recognizing that the earlier immature actions will not serve you to move forward.

I pray a blessing on your decision, and I pray that the mature action you take today will benefit others, and you will be able to glorify God today and always.

Gloria Barnes-Gregory