Meditate on Maturity

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

Ephesians 4:14-15

The question is asked of every kid at some point in their journey toward adulthood. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It is all a part of the fantasy world of a child, imagining that he or she is a doctor or a fireman or an airplane pilot, or any of thousands of other possibilities. Those childhood imaginations provide the tenacity and determination for the child to keep focused on the goal for the years it takes to reach it.

A little child is cute and precious but it is certainly a tragedy if the child never grows up. Being a child is only for a short period of time while the process of maturing takes place. Then the child bursts forth on the stage of adulthood and becomes a responsible part of society. Acting like a child when you are old enough to be an adult will at least cause you to be ignored or pitied by others or in the worst case locked up and put away for the safety of us all.

What does the Bible mean when it says we are to “grow up into him?” When we are born again we all begin as spiritual babies. It is cute and precious and part of the normal process of life. There is no set time span for spiritual infancy. But according to Ephesians 4:15 while we are infants we can be tossed about “by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men.”

As a spiritual infant it is easy to grab on to weird doctrinal interpretations and be tossed back and forth by them. But when you have grown up in Jesus it is different.

As children we all meditate on maturity. We think about the time when we will be a “grown-up” and imagine what it will be like. That focus helps us achieve the status of “responsible adult.”

As children of God we should also meditate on maturity. Think about and imagine what it will be like when we are spiritual adults and no longer tossed as children.

The truth is that no matter how spiritually mature we become on this earth we are still infants compared to what we will be like in heaven. I suppose the question is not what you want to be when you “grow up,” but what you want to be when you “GO UP!”