Americans are, in general, immature. It’s spreading, too. Countries that embrace western culture are experiencing a rise in in childishness in their adults.
I know people aren’t fond of generalities. Everyone thinks that their own story sets them apart from everyone else in any circumstance. It does, to a degree. No one else is me, and no one else is you. We were created (agree or don’t, whatever) individually, and are loved individually. We have individual circumstances, and we have group circumstances. Telling our individual stories is a way for others, who have experienced similar things, to find community support regarding some specific thing. Your individual experiences, then, help you find niches, commonalities with others, therefore putting you into a group. It’s a thing.
What is it that perpetuates this immaturity? Lack of Jesus. Yep, I said it again. Religion of Self. Yep, I said that again, too. When there isn’t anything more important that self-righteousness, there’s a lot of immaturity.
People choose not to have kids. I know we just talked about that, but look, there’s a thing about parenting that most people don’t realize until they’re halfway through their kid’s growing up years. We repeat ourselves. Alot! Parent’s teach kids lessons that we learned growing up, that we wish we learned growing up, and altering what we wish we hadn’t learned growing up.
But there’s more.
The repeating grows the parent.
You read that right. Sure the kids will learn stuff that’s important, it just won’t look like it’s taking for a while. I mean, if your kids are, uh, like most kids. When we repeat ourselves to our children, (hopefully) altering our messages as the children grow, we learn, too. How many times can you tell your kiddos to speak with kindness, to be gentle, to serve, to have compassion, without, at some point, realizing that the lesson is your own? There’s always something. Stop reading for a moment, and think about it. Haven’t you ever been correcting your kid, explaining why whatever they did was, perhaps epic, but not right, and helped them to understand what to do in future, similar situations? (I really hope you have. If you have NEVER done this, please message me, because ohmygoodnessweneedtotalk!) Sometimes what happens is you suddenly hear your own words in your ears, as though someone else is saying them. And they make sense for you. Somehow, even though your kid is right there, listening, your message is more for you, then for them. You continue speaking, and everything makes absolute, perfect sense. You are encouraged to do something differently, or more, or less. You are energized in this pursuit. Do you even know what that was? It was THE HOLY SPIRIT speaking through you, to you! Please, please, oh please tell me this has happened for you! Good, golly, gosh! It’s exciting! Your words are so on point, so faultless, and perfect that you know they aren’t your own. You listen, because this isn’t coming from your own fount of wisdom. Except now it IS part of your wisdom. And you have matured a little bit more.
People who lead and teach, those are the ones that grow in wisdom and stature. That doesn’t mean someone who runs a business, or publishes a magazine, or is the President of the Unites States (obvi, right?)
People who teach children, especially. People create disciples. Yeah, that’s churchy, but get this, you can create disciples of anything. How many kiddos are walking around with hunched shoulders staring at flipping cat videos on their handheld devices? They are disciples, sadly, of self indulgence.
Create disciple of good things. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such things there is no law. Do these things! Teach these to kids! Teach them to adults that aren’t aware! People gain wisdom, and good character when these things are taught and practiced. Do it! Jump in!
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