Maturity involves becoming an individual. In order to truly individuate, I must be growing in esteem for myself. An immature person needs to be like others in order to feel okay or to have any self-esteem. As I mature, however, it becomes enough for me to look at my Father and see that I’m becoming like Him, without regard to what or who any other person is. I can esteem myself because God does. I can approve of who I am because God does, even if I’m vastly different than everyone I know. Whew! What a relief. True maturity is also accompanied by agape-love-esteem in general. This means that while I’m delighting in my own individuality, I’m also taking more delight in the individuality of others. I’m pleased that you’re growing, even if you’re growing to be less like me every day. You see, our Father has so many facets that, in most respects, you and I can both grow to be like Him, while becoming nothing like each other. Yes, if we’re both growing in Him, we’ll both experience increasing esteem for each other’s individuality, and the "basic" fruit of the Spirit, but for the rest— who knows. That’s what individuality is all about. As I consider this, I can see that I’ve known people I’ve thought were mature, when in fact they only acted mature. They saw no value in those who were different from them; they devalued growth. Some of them even tried to shame me for not fitting into their box. Relationships with those people had to come to an end, in order for me to grow and mature. We’ll become like who we set our eyes on.
Posted on: Tue, 08 Oct 2013 11:23:23 +0000
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