Godly maturity: not always so easy. Growing up, I was taught never to give up. Never to surrender but to push forward and keep striving, which did well for me in school and on the soccer field. Along the way, this teaching became unbalanced in my life because I bunkered into the never give up and never surrender mentality.

It became destructive when I engaged in arguments or debate. At the bar scene when I had too much, I forgot that it isn’t just what we are doing that matters but also how we go about doing whatever we are called to do.

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” — 1 Corinthians 13:11 ESV

Godly Maturity and Growing Up

Since I had bought into this idea of never surrender and never give up in such an unbalanced way, I didn’t realize I was not growing up. This crazy approach was impacting my abilities to speak, think, and reason as a man should. I just figured as I got older, it meant I automatically became a man. I didn’t realize Jesus had a pathway laid out for manhood. It was the only way to become a true man, who is filled daily, by His Spirit to handle the tasks at hand in a way that honored God.

When this was revealed to me, I began to see a positive side to surrender- to give up. I started to walk away from my childish speaking, thinking, and reasoning so that I could begin this journey into authentic manhood. Become the man God has always desired for me to be so that I could be better to my wife, better to my children, productive at my workplace, and even enjoy being with myself more.

Encouragement:

Get into the Bible, start a study on a topic you’ve been avoiding or lacking in your understanding (aka manhood, husbandry, fatherhood, leader, etc. ) Get into His creation to connect it all. Journal your findings along with some ways to move more into His fullness.

For more reading materials on Godly Maturity Is More Than Age, see below:

• Master Your Craft: Spiritual Growth
• Godly Manhood in a Fallen Culture
• Nothing But Change | What Life Brings