The Sight & Blindness of Maturity (March 2013)

Marshall mentioned on Sunday that there are passages of scripture he knows now that he can’t recall ever having learned. He’s just always known them. I’m sure we could all say this in some area of our lives. What did you think of passages like the genealogies of Genesis 5--specifically, the ages of everyone in it--when you were younger (in age or in the faith)? Since these people had “other sons and daughters,” we can assume they were living for a long time as well. That means that a lot of people back then were living a lot longer than even the really old people we know of today.

Such lifespans read like mythology to us today, don’t they? The only reason these ages were difficult for me, though, was because the ages are so far afield of my experience. People just don’t live that long now. I think of how people look now when they’re in their nineties, and for a 900 year old there is an image of the Nazi general in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade after he drinks from the wrong “holy grail.” He withers, becomes skin and bones, and then dust. We would have to think something like that, if things were still the same. Ultimately, that’s why we find such things difficult to take today. We know that doesn’t happen today so we assume it didn’t happen back then either. There is no one around from back then to prove us wrong, or to prove that people did live that long. Why should we believe God allowed something different back then, just because He says so, when we can believe things have always been the same as now? 

Mainly because they’re not, and as a more mature believer I’ve come to realize that. God has never changed, but His creation has, and the way He has governed all that exists has also changed (most markedly in Genesis). The full testimony of scripture describes for us the way things were, where God’s truth was put down based on a specific situation (that nevertheless applies in numerous others). Cultural situations not explicitly mentioned in scripture (like doing drugs, internet bullying, or how believers should drive) do not get a Mulligan in terms of following the clear teaching of scripture on our behavior. But it does take time to come to those realizations. It takes time to transfer our head knowledge to heart and soul knowledge, from subjective opinion to objective truth. There are no shortcuts.

The same is true of parenting. Since I work outside the home I don’t get to experience a full day of taking care of the children often. When I do, some things are effortless while others make me consider the going rate for giving a kid up for adoption in SoCal. I also notice the further a parent gets from that experience with their own kids, the less likely they are to be compassionate with mothers who are in the trenches right then. They know you get through it, they know you grow, they know the bad memories fade, and so they try to rush a new parent past the difficulty rather than join her in the midst of it. That would be messy, and it could be uncomfortable, but it’s what Jesus would have done. 

I recently watched the kids all day so Rebeca could get away. I found myself running the gamut of emotions: the joy of playing with Jace, of watching Charis smile and coo, the frustration of telling Jace ‘no’ to the same thing for the 1,000th time, or that Charis’ crying isn’t helping her get to sleep. I don’t remember these times in my life and my patience as I watch my own children go through them is disappointing. I’m selfish. I want them to hurry up, I want more freedom, and I want... well, I want to enjoy these stages when I want to, and ignore them when I don’t. How’s that for honesty? But when I catch myself--when I interact with my kids, or the neighborhood kids, and see their childish way of relating and bragging and playing--I know all they experience is part of their journey of growing up. We want to rush it, but we can’t. And we also can’t make all their decisions for them. At some point we have to realize--with the heart and soul, not just the head--they’re different and allow them the choices that come with that. Even if they don’t chose what we would.

The life of faith in Jesus, like parenting, is not for the faint of heart. Jesus tells us as much in Luke 14:25-35. He tells us to count the cost, consider if we’re willing to follow through before we commit. We will continue to learn and be transformed as we go, but we should not jump in foolishly without first determining our resolve. In fact, it is this process of being sanctified that is an indispensable part of God’s proving Himself to those that trust in Him. It’s personal and it’s real and it’s not for everyone else’s minds or hearts. God’s just that cool, and I believe He does much of what He does solely for the ones prepped to watch Him in awe and give Him glory because of it. If it makes us smile in wonder, and give Him praise as a result, I suspect He’s fine with showing off. But it takes time to get to the place where you’re ready and willing to see it, and that process looks different for every one of us.

Do you remember what it was like to be a child? Do you remember what it was like to be a new Christian? In both cases, do you remember the things you thought about and the way you reasoned in your mind? Provided you’ve been a follower of Jesus now for more than two years (a number arbitrarily arrived at, based on the assumption we need time for our views to mature), how has your understanding of what it means to be a Christian changed? How has your practice as a believer grown or matured? But more importantly: are you willing to allow others the chance and opportunity to grow and mature naturally like you did? This month, strive to be the kind of person that does not force the Spirit’s hand, but is available to be used by Him instead.

The first five people to approach me on Sunday and say they read the article will get a prize.