Grow: The Three Most Important Areas
As a preteen, I remember thinking that becoming a teenager somehow would make me a mature person. And in some ways, I was forced to mature, but in others, I remained immature. I remember thinking that the maturity I lacked would come on my twenty-first birthday. Once again, I matured in some areas but in others remained as immature or maybe even worse. So, I thought that maturity was just a little bit further down the road, that when I hit my thirties, for sure I’d mature. But the same pattern repeated itself, in some areas age forced me to mature while in others I remained as immature and in some instances, I became more immature. It wasn’t until I hit my mid-thirties that I realized three things. First, that few things are more harmful in life than becoming an immature adult. Second, in many areas of my life, time alone was not enough to cause me to mature. And third, that maturing in the important areas of my life was something I had to become intentional about.
No matter how old you are, you know that there are areas in your life in which you never fully matured. Areas you’ve learned to cover an excuse, but they have an adverse impact on the important things in your life. Because adult immaturity eventually shows up in all of your interactions. It shows up in everything you do and in every one of your relationships.
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. – Luke 2:52 NIV
Three areas you should intentionally mature in:
- WISDOM
No amount of knowledge, through studies or lived experiences on its own makes a person wise. What makes a person wise is the proper application of knowledge. Wisdom is to know what is right and to intentionally do what is right.
- STATURE
In order to grow and mature in stature, you must learn to be intentional with your health. You should eat sensibly, do the appropriate exercise for your stage of life and have your annual physical. Anything less is immature and will eventually have a negative impact on your life.
- FAVOR WITH GOD AND WITH MAN
If in no other area, we should grow and mature in our relationships with God and with others. As I said at the beginning of this post, few things are more harmful than immature adults interacting with each other. We must be intentional about growing past the immaturity that keeps us relationally deficient with God and with others.
Robert Cruz Jr.
Bobby Cruz Jr. became Senior Pastor of CDA Miami in 1999, continuing the work that his father, Bobby Cruz began in 1980. Bobby Jr. is an engaging speaker whose passion is to lead people in a growing relationship with Jesus. He has five children and he lives with his wife Ana in Doral, FL.