Maturation Process part 5
Here's what I think is the most important thing about the never ending journey of maturity--and that's why I left it for last--it's a process. It doesn't happen all at once. It's ok to make mistakes. How else can you learn from your mistakes? But that's the key: Learning. Growing. Moving forward. Getting knocked down but getting back up. Letting people help you. Listen, I've said this many times before, needing help is not a sign of weakness. Needing help is a sign of wisdom. No man is an island. It's not good that man should be alone. We need each other. Look at Ephesians 4:13, "Till we all come in the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Till we ALL come in the unity of faith. We are all in this together. We are all one body--different, unique parts, but connected. And as we ALL come into the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God--as we learn and grow, as we BE who we are by letting HIM be who He is in us--that's when we come into the measure of the stature of the FULNESS of Christ. That's when manifest the fulness. That's when what's inside--in a sense--gets so big that it overflows out of us naturally. It's not me trying to be someone I'm not. That's impossible. That will never work. At the end of the day we are who we are. It's me filling myself with the fulness of Christ. He already filled me with Himself. Now I'm filling myself with that fulness. I'm dipping into the well. Letting living water flow out of my innermost being. And how do I do that? By knowing and believing the truth. Maturity isn't about living up to someone else's idea of who or what you should be. Maturity is accepting the truth about you. Which, of course, is the truth about Jesus. He IS the Truth. What's true about Him is true about you. There's nothing more mature than loving others with the love that you are loved with. Nothing more mature than obeying the New Commandment. Nothing more mature than being who you are instead of trying to be someone you're not. But, again, it's a process. Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes we don't do what we ought to do. And that's where things like mercy, and grace, and forgiveness, and liberty come in. Giving each other (and ourselves) room to learn and grow. Room to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. It's such a rare and wonderful thing to have someone to take this journey with you. To stand by you no matter what. And that's who Jesus is. A friend that sticks closer than a brother. The One who promised to never leave us nor forsake us. The One who lives inside us. He moved in and He's never moving out. He's right there with us. No matter what. Win, lose, or draw. Forever. Everlasting. Eternal. Abundant. Resurrection Life. We can't get disqualified, and He won't ever give up on us. So enjoy the journey. Let the process do what it's there to do. Learn and grow. Don't give up. Keep moving forward. Upward and God-ward!