Eyes on JesusSampl

One of my favorite skits on a show called Mad TV was about this giant man-baby named Stuart. He would act like a three-year-old even though he was obviously a middle-aged man. It sounds stupid, and it probably is if I tried watching it again, but the concept of someone who never aged makes for comedic situations. There’s also viral videos or stories on social media once in a while of parents who still pamper their grown kids; ten-year olds still on a bottle, moms who chew up their kid’s food like a momma bird then spit it out, etc. All of these go against the normal maturity you come to expect in raising kids. 

Imagine if your kids were born and then they had to fend for themselves without the first 18 years of equipping, maturing, and training? It would be tragic. 

Paul and the writer of Hebrews explain the concept of maturing in believers as solid food and milk. Just as one would expect a child to mature over time, so Christians should be maturing over the years after salvation. If you look back ten years into your Christian walk, you should see a maturing in the decisions you are making, the resistance to sin, a more abundant prayer life, daily reading of the Word of God, etc.

The journey to maturity as a Christian will never be completed and much failure will be involved. Hebrews says “because of practice” you can train to discern between good and evil. Practice makes perfect but practice also allows for failure. Think of practicing basketball shots. If you shoot a hundred shots, you may miss half of them. But over time, maybe you miss 40, then 30, then 20, etc. Even professional players will not make all 100 shots. 

We must learn from failure as Christians. We can make better decisions and grow in discernment as we are open to the process of maturing in our walk with Jesus Christ.

Reflect: What areas of my Christian life have I matured in over the last few years? What areas do I still need to mature in?