SPIRITUAL MATURITY

It's quite amazing to me how God works in our lives. Often, we do not recognize that He is at work. At times, we can or do look back and see how He was at work when, obnoxiously, we may have thought that it was our intelligence, wisdom, gifts, etc., that caused some beautiful thing to happen. We tend to pat ourselves on the back for our accomplishments, not fully giving the credit to the One who created us and gives us the ability and strength to do what we do. 

Be this motherhood, fathering children, doing well in our careers, or simply helping someone in some way. Many of us also tag dollars to what proves we are successful or numbers of people we reach through our efforts. Even though these things count for something, without God in the mix, they are nothing. 

Being used of God to help others become spiritually mature while I am in the process of becoming spiritually mature also amazes me. Granted, spiritual maturity is a lifelong process. All of us are at different levels, stages, or dimensions of our spiritual maturity. And even more amazing, we are more mature in some areas of life than in others. The danger in this is that we might think we are very mature all around because of some areas of spiritual maturity. That is, because of only some issues, attitudes or behaviors in which we have indeed "grown up." 

I am grateful that God has been working in me. When I say this, I say it through hindsight. Much of my spiritual maturity has come thorough some kind of pain, conflict, problem, issues, whatever term you choose to use. At the time, I could not see that He was doing some work in me. Whatever the situations that I was experiencing were more real to me than what God may have been trying to show me, teach me, or cleanse out of me. 

As a result of life events and of trials, the anointing of God and the wisdom of God come through me in ways that super amaze me! Even though I have had the opportunity, and still do, to receive training and learn skills for helping others receive emotional healing and/or become spiritually mature, God works through me for each person, couple, family or group in their situation in ways that I am often not cognizant of. My goal, however, is to yield to Him and allow His Spirit to have way as I am in the presence of others. 

To the credit of the many exceptional churches, ministries, ministers, family and friends that I have had the opportunity to glean from, I have learned that spending time with God and in His Word, no matter what is going on in my life (or what is not that I wish was going on) is of utmost importance. So, as problems, etcetera, arise in my life, I spend time with God, I seek Him for comfort, for peace and for understanding. Through these "precious moments" He instills in me things that turn into spiritual maturity. He then uses these "revelations" or "new learnings" to share with others in a variety of ways, one being counseling and also, through writing or speaking. 

Through all these words, what I am hoping you got is that for you to become spiritually mature (and remember, this is a lifelong training), you must spend time getting to know or better know God through prayer and the reading/revelation found in His Word (the Bible). This is not a process that you can engage always alone. You will need others to help you along the way. Whether it is through church, ministries, ministers, family, and friends or even through counseling. To become spiritually mature you need others. You need solo time with The Lord God and you need to learn from and interact with others. I hope and pray that you take this to heart and that in some way it helps you to be intentional about your spiritual maturity.

As an old friend of mine used to always say (Nancy Alcorn of Mercy Ministries of America), "so there you have it!"