You know the tone of voice that goes with "Oh, grow up." It's a disgusted sound with some frustration thrown in. You've probably said it to someone who aggravated you by their immature behavior. Someone may even have said it to you!

We all judge people by the way they behave. It's acceptable to jump up and down and yell while we are at a soccer game, but jumping and yelling is not acceptable if we're at a movie. In a movie theater, people would consider that a sign of immaturity.

People judge our spiritual maturity by the way we act, too. When we become a Christian, we all start out as a baby. One of my friends became a baby Christian at age 72! A baby Christian hasn't had time to grow. She might still have a quick temper, be selfish, think she is better than other people are, be resentful, gossipy, or even a troublemaker.

Fortunately, a baby Christian usually sees a more mature Christian and wants to act like her. Sometimes, she tries to take a shortcut to spiritual maturity. She watches every move the mature Christian makes and copies her. Soon, the baby Christian can act appropriately in church, but she hasn't changed on the inside. The shortcut became a blind alley. Instead of gaining spiritual maturity, she created a costume to wear at certain times. She can't wear it all the time, so all of the old sins still plague her.

No short cut will make you spiritually mature. Becoming spiritual mature is hard work. Changing the inside-you happens only if you want it enough to overcome the easy way to live. Sin grows into a bad habit almost overnight. Replacing that bad habit with one that pleases God means you must resist your old sinful habits. And you can't do that alone.

Which leads us to the Holy Spirit. He is the One who came into the inside-you when you were saved. He has fruit that He wants to help you grow. The Bible even gives us a list of that fruit in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  When you work with the Holy Spirit to grow these fruits within you, you become more spiritually mature.

You know that growing anything takes time. Begin by praying about which fruit to grow first. Don't try to become mature in everything all at once. (God is patient with us. He will show you which fruit to grow.) Ask someone you trust to pray with you. Find a book that teaches what God says about the fruit you are growing. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see when you fail to act mature. He will be there to encourage you. Be patient and work hard. Then if someone says to you, "Oh, grow up," you can reply, "Just watch me. God and I are working on it." THAT is a sign of spiritual maturity.


Lynnda Ell has been an active Christian for over 50 years She has three adult daughters and five grandchildren. She has had careers in accounting, direct sales, electrical engineering and writing. She lives and worships in New Orleans, LA. Check out Lynnda's blog.