The hardest part about growing up is actually facing the reality of growing up.
Maturation is a funny word to me. When I hear it I picture an awkward,gangly 14 year old boy who weighs 135lbs dripping wet; braces consuming the majority of his mouth and in a constant stage of sweat... Now after you all have pictured that wonderful boy we all know, scratch that ish. The funny thing is that I am 22 years old and just realizing that the maturation process is far from over.
Which of the following situations would define maturity best?
A.) In middle school I was sure I was maturing when I started dating my first secret boyfriend. You know.. the one you would hug inbetween classes, or would consistently round out the #1 spot on your top 5 for 2 whole weeks in a row. B.)High School I was mature when I no longer needed a secret boyfriend, but I had the one whose football jersey I could wear every friday underneath my very cool letter jacket, and break up with every other week only to know we would get back together and for sure marry each other someday...C.) Leaving for college seemed like the definition of maturity, I must have forgotten I was going to be living with 40 other 18 year olds who were all trying to "find themselves." D.) None of the above.
Now, I won't be claim to be someone who knows all, but over the last few weeks I came to the realization that I might actually be maturing. Therefore the answer would be D. None of the above. Have you ever found yourself asking "okay God, are you seriously asking me to do this right now?" Well, that is what I have found myself saying over and over again the last few weeks. A few years ago, I don't think I would have taken these requests from God seriously. I may have even said something like "April fools, right?" Now, thankfully, God has made it very clear to me that when he asks me to do something, its for my own good, not because he wants to play a bad joke on me.
One of my teammates brought up a verse in devos about a month and a half ago that really stuck on my heart. 2 Samuel 24:24 "... I WILL NOT SACRIFICE TO THE LORD MY GOD BURNT OFFERINGS THAT COST ME NOTHING." It took me a while to process what this meant. In context, it is talking about when God commanded David to build an altar on the threshing floor of the Jebusite, Araunah. David asked to buy Araunah's threshing floor to stop a plague on the people. Araunah replied by saying that David, the king, could have whatever he pleases, he was giving it to him and that was David's reply. What does this have to do with maturing you ask? Everything.
This goes back to what God has been asking me to sacrifice. I will spare the blogging world of the complexities of my less than entertaining life, but let me just say God is asking me to do some BIG things concerning school, future, etc.. In the past I've tried to hustle God. You know, when he asks me to give up something to him I say, well, what about a coke instead? It is kind of like when people say they are giving up dessert for lent... seriously guys, that is nothing like dying on the cross for the sins of an entire world. However, this verse in 2 Samuel is what woke me up from this false world of lame sacrifices I've been living in for so long. If I am not willing to sacrifice something that hurts, that is more that just a surface level desire of my flesh, than is my heart really after the Lord and his plans for my life? In Jeremiah it says that the plans the Lord has for us are to prosper us and not to harm us. His plans are to give us a future and a hope. I feel like through this verse and promise, God has been showing me how to mature spiritually, and to me spiritual maturity is a far greater form of maturity than finally catching up with your hormones.
Song of the moment: Give me Jesus.
