Children are very curious. Their minds, beautifully immature, are constantly crafting ways to get their way, to meld their existence with those of their family, and to fit the broad context of the world they are discovering into their little frame of understanding. This journey of understanding can sometimes lead to some very humorous and innocent conclusions. Art Linkletter even capitalized on this concept with his TV show Kids Say the Darndest Things in the late 90’s. Aside from our faith, God did not intend for humanity to remain childlike. His intention for us is growth.
Maturation is God’s design. Our brains are intricate creations that grow and develop well into our late 20’s. However, the maturing process is not a personal, isolated thing, it’s a product of integration and community. A person’s level of maturity is defined by others. In Ephesians 4:13-15 Paul echoes this idea and expresses an expectation for growth and maturation in the development of our faith. We are meant to mature and grow both individually and corporately.
Every competitive runner has a finish line etched in their mind. It’s the reason they tie up their laces and why they subject themselves to the grueling race before them. The author of Hebrews 12 uses this imagery as he calls believers to run the race God has called them to. The finish line of that race is obtained by fixing our minds on one thing; not the goal of winning, not a determination to defeat our fiercest competitor, but by fixing our eyes on Jesus.
Returning to Ephesians 4, Paul calls us to pursue maturity and sets Christ as our standard. Our goal for maturity, for completion, is Christ himself; to come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of him. Ephesians 4:15 reveals the outcome of this maturation process: a united body of believers who speak the truth in love and intricately work together to cause each other to grow and work as one, with Jesus leading the way.
Full maturity is obtained as we engage with each other, loving each other as Christ leads us. And while we engage each other, and encourage each other to fix our eyes on Jesus, He does His part. The author and perfecter of our faith is faithful to mature us more and more into the likeness of himself (Hebrews 12:2), mature and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:2-5).
About the Author
Mike enjoys spending time with his wife and four kids. He loves Jesus, art, music, and poetry. He currently works as the Manager of Learning Technology Solutions for Los Angeles Pacific University and is passionate about adventuring outdoors.