In my previous blog we discussed a time to grow up and moving on from being childish to becoming childlike.  This process, known as maturity, is at times filled with many challenges but also great reward, and of course a lot of hard work.  So I thought it might be helpful to take a pause and reflect a bit on what it means to attain maturity and become a childlike person.  After all, if we’re going to grow up and meet the developmental crossroads in our life head on it would behoove us to know what this process requires and what lies around the bend.

So let me ask the question, “What does it mean to mature and how can you spot it in yourself and others”?  I posed that exact question to God during one of my prayer sessions and here’s what He shared.  I call it the seven principles or pillars of maturity and they are characteristic of people who are becoming childlike, and thus growing up in God’s eyes.  In summary, such persons:  

1. Respond to God immediately! There is no hesitation in their obedience because they believe that God is for them and not against them. Their obedience is unwavering and complete.
2. Are weak before God, but strong before others! They “do not fear what man can do to them” but acknowledge their dependency on His will and power.
3. Don’t remain in immaturity forever! They have stepped up and into the road leading to the childlike life. They pursue maturity and go for it even if they face setbacks – which we all will!
4. Wait on and for the Lord! They live by faith and not by sight – moment by moment. Their ability to wait, and not worry, is a strong indicator of their maturity.
5. Commune with God on a continual basis! They have a day by day relationship with their Creator resulting in deep intimacy and a high quality of life that progresses over time.
6. Are willing to receive ALL that God has for them – including the good and the bad. They understand and believe that everything works out for the best for those that love Him, even if current conditions look bleak.
7. Invite God into EVERY area and aspect of their being! They hold nothing back and everything in on the table.  All is fair game (sex, money, marriage, relationships, etc.) for inquiry and examination as the result will be a whole and purified life.

I believe these seven pillars are a rock-solid foundation for living and will help anyone who desires to withstand the storms of life, become childlike adults and experience the best God has to offer.  My journey to building a life based on these seven pillars has spanned more than twenty years and has been reinforced regularly through mediations on the wisdom contained in 1^st Corinthians Chapter 13.  As the good book states, and let these words sink in, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.”  So move forward armed with this wisdom, knowing that the life your building is set in stone and formed around seven pillars that will not fail.

Dario L. Perla