Today's Inspiration: Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything. James 1:4. We must come to a realization that achieving maturity on any level is a journey we must all make. Until we make a real step to mature, release cannot home.
People in crisis never bothered to find out the real root of their pain both emotional or physical. They just focus on the pain that is unbearable like the recurrence of broken relationship, sickness or financial failure. Seldom do they look inward. They tend to start pointing fingers at people like Adam and Eve or Cain. They fail to see their contravention of His commandment. It all boils down to disobedience caused by greed, power or asserting their rights. Disobedience subject one to shame and grief. Somewhere along the line as they grow up their addiction exploration is accumulated because of immaturity.
Traits to identify an immature person are one who resist change, constantly restless, selfishly demand their way and failure to give priority to develop their life and character with God and with authority.
The one who resists change is one with a selfish spirit. Demanding your own way and asserting your rights is destructive and definitely immature as in Saul's jealousy over David and who is determined to remove him from this Earth. When demanding your ways is top priority, you are still like a little boy or girl who insists on having the toys your parents felt are harmful to you. Some go beyond demands and becomes bullies.
Cain had all three traits of an immature person. God gave him ample time to modify his offering. When he saw disfavor of God in his sacrificial offering he became cast down and God reasoned with him that if he does what is right will he not be accepted in Genesis 4:7. Cain demanded his own way refusing to repent and did not change his sacrificial offering and thus was rejected. He had to bear consequences for insisting on his own way. People who are immature cannot kick out their old nature. You have to challenge them to look beyond their present condition to improving their mind, body and self-confidence.
Do not be prideful and demanding attention like Cain. Job looks beyond his pain and persevered receiving a double portion of reward for what he has lost. Job 42:10.
Immaturity is nothing new. The key is helping that loved one overcome his self-destructive cyclical ways. The key is whether you love someone enough to help them free from old nature or keep him immature by consistently reminding him of his flaws. There is power in your words. God is a God of compassion who empathizes with us on our weakness. Would you be like Him to empathize with your loved one on his addiction or choose the world's ways of continuously condemning the person who had let you down.
We need an anchor for our emotions and our physical needs. What is this anchor? It's a commitment to change that attitude that will strengthen all aspects of our lives. Make a commitment to stabilize your life.
Prayer: Lord grant me an anchor for my emotions and physical flaws. Help me to change in areas that I cannot change and strengthen every aspect of our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.