Random Thought #2
Posted by Rebecca Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:52:00 GMT
I’ve heard a few people talking about spiritual maturity lately and I kinda find it funny that we often think other people are not spiritually mature or maturing because they are not or have not grown in areas we have.
I have thought this myself in the past.
But I think it’s not necessarily true.
I don’t think the journey G-d leads us on is linear. Maybe that’s one of the reasons we Greek-minded westerners have such a hard time with the Christian walk. We want it to be a nice linear function that would look pretty plotted on Cartesian coordinates.
But I don’t think it’s like that. I think it’s all over the place, and I think it’s different for each one of us. Sure, G-d gets us all to the same destination, but our mountains and valleys are in different places, and our spiritual lessons are likely to be learned at different paces based on our unique skills and gifts and personalities and all those other wonderful things G-d put in us when He designed us.
For example, I do really well connecting with G-d emotionally. I know He is always there and I can see Him in everything. His presence is always known to me at every moment. I’ve matured a great deal in that area (although probably not even close to completely). However, I have a hard time giving grace to other people and forgiving them.
I have a friend who is exactly the opposite. He has a difficult time connecting emotionally to G-d, but he is very gracious and forgiving of others. He has matured more in an area that I haven’t and vice versa.
So does that mean one of us is mature and one isn’t? Nope. Does it mean we are never going to achieve maturity in the areas where we are weak? Nope. It means that we can help each other get there because we know what works in the area where the other is weaker. That’s community. That’s one of the purposes of the body of Christ. It’s genius, really - we all need each other.
So now when I am tempted to think that someone else is less spiritually mature than me, I try to stop myself and think of two things: Where am I not mature, and where are they mature?
It helps me balance my thinking about people and helps me realize that we are all in this together, heading to the same place.