Growing Up Is Hard To Do!

If you were to ask me what one message I would convey to the vast majority of people who have come to me for pastoral advice and counsel over the past three decades, I would say with great gusto “Grow Up!”
 
Ouch! That hurts because so many of us refuse to grow up.
 
Paul tells us in I Corinthians 13: 11 “When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.”  Paul also writes in I Corinthians 14:20 “Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be babes, but in your thinking be mature.”
 
When we were kids, we did what kids do. We acted childish, not grown up. It is perfectly all right and acceptable for children to act like children, because they are kids! Childhood is a very special season in our lives.
           

• But when childhood passes and adulthood takes center stage, we are to grow up and act like grown ups, not children in adult bodies.

 
When Paul became a man, he chose to do away with childish things. He purposely changed his thinking and behavior. No more kid’s stuff for Paul. Maturity was the mark he strove for.  Paul made daily decisions to step out of childhood and walk in adulthood as a believer in Jesus Christ.
 

• So much poor adult behavior is childish behavior.

 
Sadly, some people never do away with childish things, they never mature in their thinking and conduct, and they wonder why they cannot maintain healthy, adult relationships.   
 
I have an idea why. They act like immature children. Juvenile. Some people act like spoiled brats! Sometimes in counseling I feel like I am babysitting! I have to call time outs. Some people throw spiritual tantrums and emotional fits. You know what I would like to do? Send them to their rooms. Ouch again!
 

• Growing up is hard to do but is required if we are to become like Christ and enjoy mature, mutually satisfying relationships with God and people.

 
Think with me for a moment. Do you realize how frustrating it is for a person you love to relate to you on an adult level when you choose to act like a little child? Adult-child does not work when mature relationships require adult-adult. Adults need to grow up and act like grown-ups!
 
Paul gives wise, sensible guidance to the body of Christ concerning conduct toward brothers and sisters in the church.
 
“But speaking the truth in love, we are to GROW UP in all aspects unto Him, who is the head, even Christ...” Ephesians 4:15
 
The context of verse 15 is verses 11-16. “Speaking the truth in love” means calling stuff what it is. If we are to grow up, we must begin by facing the truth. Truth is truth. I believe the rule for healthy relationships is to always take the high road and speak truth with love.
 
Love takes the hard edge off tough stuff. But love does not mean not facing truth and needing to grow up and act maturely. Love doesn’t cover truth. It exposes truth and provides opportunity for change---if we are willing to grow up!     
 
Why is it so hard for us to “grow up” in our Christian life? Here are a few reasons to ponder.
 

• Growing up means I must face my shortcomings and do something about them.
• Growing up means I must be willing to stop making excuses for poor behavior.
• Growing up means that I must admit that I am not perfect.
• Growing up means I might have to admit that I was wrong and you were right.
• Growing up means I, and I alone, must take responsibility for my actions.
• Growing up means I must repent, apologize, seek forgiveness and make restitution when I have wronged others.
• Growing up means I must put away childish behavior and decide to act like an adult.
• Growing up means I must look to Jesus as my standard for maturity and do whatever He tells me to do to be more like Him.
• Growing up means I will have to die to self and live for God and others.
• Growing up means that if I desire to be Christ-like, I must grow up to be like Jesus. 
• Growing up means, bottom line, that I value relationships with God and people so much that I refuse to act like a baby anymore.

 
Imagine what would happen in the church of Jesus Christ, in Christian homes, in the business community, in our world if Christians started GROWING UP and SHOWING UP as mature witnesses for Christ? Wow—revival and restoration to righteousness, holiness, goodness, wholeness, wellness, happiness, prosperity and peace would be the order of the day.
 

• If you need to grow up, start right now. The stakes are too high to continue to act like an immature child. Successful living requires mature, grown up, adult behavior.

 
Choosing not to grow up you will never know how good grown-up living can be. Chose to grow up and you will know how being like Jesus can make life abundant and worth living.
 

• Hey friend, are you growing up and becoming more and more grown up in Christ each day?

 
“Therefore, putting aside all malice and al guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the Word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”                                                                                        I Peter 2:2
 
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity.”                                           II Peter 3:18
 
A Word For Your Week: If you want to go up, GROW UP!