Don’t be like them! Be like me, instead!
What is spiritual maturity? Well, I’m glad you asked (me)! Of course, since I write online about spiritual things, I MUST have a great answer to this question!
Spiritual maturity is not what you think it is.
It’s not knowing more stuff about God1 than other people. I know this because I read the entire Bible once, and people STILL didn’t think I was mature spiritually, for some reason. So it CAN’T be that!
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
As another example, there was a lady at church who once started every comment (loudly) with, “I’ve sat in this pew every week for thirty years!” and then the next thing that came out of her mouth was inconsistent2 with a God who defines Himself as love.
My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God.
No, it’s not spiritual knowledge or even learning a lot of stuff at church that defines spiritual maturity.
Then I wondered if being a really great person defines spiritual maturity?
I mean, that’s what everyone assumes, right? The most common complaint against God that I hear is, “Those PEOPLE are such hypocrites!” So if the people are NOT hypocrites and do things right (at least most(!) of the time), then this MUST be the correct definition of spiritual maturity, right?
. . . we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us
Nope.
We all (even me!) fall short (occasionally, ok?). But this is actually freedom for me, because then I can stop sucking in my gut and pretending I’m amazing (I would NEVER do that!) because I can remember that Jesus is the star of our show, not me! Whew!
And that’s a GREAT relief.
Plus, tragically, we have seen many churches crumble recently, with people who appear well put together on the outside but whose interior lives, hidden from the eyes of others, suddenly get exposed, spraying cancerous filth on everyone nearby. We shouldn’t be surprised by this, by the way, because being a great person (or even a pretty good person) is not the definition of spiritual maturity, either.
Christian behavior can be put on like a mask… Spectators… will often break into applause. But there is no applause in heaven.…
Perhaps the definition of spiritual maturity is someone who attends church five days a week and helps the needy at every opportunity?
Nope. This could be excellent work, and may be driven from a pure heart in devotion to God, but more often than one would expect, in the church, these types of people have boundary issues and are actually nursing childhood wounds related to pleasing others or searching for significance in a church community. I, for example, would NEVER do that!
So THAT can’t be the definition of spiritual maturity, either.
My husband3 told me this, that the true definition of spiritual maturity is:
One who gets up quickly after they fall.
That’s it.
We get up quickly after we fall.
More on the how and the why of this next time, but it’s EXACTLY THE SAME to grow spiritually as it is to develop physically. We get up after we fall, and we keep going back. (“To the gym or to God?” you ask. What difference does it make? Do both!) And we get stronger each time we turn our face away from despair and towards giving it another go.
Oh! And did I mention that He gives us the strength to get up when we fall, turn our feet toward the son and take another step into His arms?
Your God is present among you. . . Happy to have you back, he’ll calm you with his love and delight you with his songs.
That’s the good news!
(Not you. Or me. We’re not the good news.)
Yah!
Oh! And getting up quickly after we fall is also colloquially referred to as “being S.T.U.P.I.D.”, a method of goal-setting that is expounded upon in sophisticated, elaborate but convoluted minutiae HERE.
So keep being S.T.U.P.I.D., friends!
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credit – Don’t be that kind of S.T.U.P.I.D., though! by ulziibayar badamdorj on Unsplash and Follow The Son, S.T.U.P.I.D.! by Christiaan Huynen on Unsplash
1 Ha ha ha ha! Do people actually think this? Hilarious!!
2 Unlike me, who always applies wisdom to my life correctly.
3 And we can trust him to know the correct definition of spiritual maturity because: (1) He reads a LOT of stuff about God! (2) He’s a pretty good guy! AND (3) He regularly helps put the chairs away after church!
Restoring Life 