CHILDISH THINGS
“When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.”
Children amaze us when they exceed natural expectations for their age. We do not expect children to behave as a mature adult. We have come to expect that children will do childish things; throw tempers, refuse to share, take things that do not belong to them, act irresponsibly, put themselves in dangerous situations. We are not at all surprised when they do childish things. As parents we work to correct them and help them mature into healthy individuals.
Maturing as a Christian is measurable. It is relatively easy to discover if you or someone you know is actually maturing, growing up in Christ. Mature Christians put away childish things. Mature Christians exhibit fruits of the Spirit.
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
FRUIT; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are qualities we do not expect to automatically see in Children. They are the fruit of the mature.
How do we obtain such fruit?
It is a process of time, experience, humility, mentorship, modeling, learning, sacrifice, service. Christians accelerate the process by fully surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in their lives. Allowing Christ to increase in them day by day so that the fruit of the spirit is given all it needs to thrive in the life of the believer.
THE BATTLE WITH THE CHILD IN US
We all struggle with the two year old inside of us. No one would entrust a two year old with responsibility over others. Two year olds, more often than not, tend to be selfish and not great socially. In order to succeed in life we must grow up. God loves us so much He introduces challenges and difficulties in our lives that force us to grow and put away childish things. You can’t travel far if you wear a diaper. You can’t explore the world if you are addicted to a pacifier.
The child in us wants comfort, control, attention. The child in us resists change. The child in us resists authority. If we never grow up, we risk losing every meaningful relationship in our lives. No one wants to be married to a 40 year old child. No one wants to be best friends with an adult who behaves like a child. Peter Pan was a permanent child, but he had to move to never, never land because that is the only place adults can live as children.
How do we win the battle?
Paul stated it simply: “when I grew up I put away childish things”. No one has to remain a child forever. Paul did not say, “God took my toys away and so I grew up”. The implication in this verse is that as individuals we give up childish things so we can grow up to be the man/woman God has called us to be. Can I share, serve, give, live a life that honors God and is respectful of those around me? The answer is YES! You can if you will.
We can put away childish things. We can engage in the work of maturing in Christ. We can, we should and if we refuse we will live a difficult and lonely life. God has given us the Holy Spirit to equip us with the fruits of the Spirit to help us become men and women of God.