And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these. Mark 12:30-31 NLT
Emotional maturity is not the same as spiritual maturity. But they do go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other. It is the same in our relationship with God and people. You can’t have a healthy vertical relationship with God unless you also have healthy horizontal relationships with people. Jesus said that numerous times. Emotional maturity and spiritual maturity are reflected in our relationships.
One does not become spiritually or emotionally mature simply with the passage of time. We are not born mature, but we are born with infinite potential. It requires intentionality to reach true thriving. We all know that simply increasing in age does not cause us to become mature in other ways. Everyone knows a 50-year-old who occasionally acts like a 5-year-old emotionally, with anger or pouting. We all know someone who has “been a Christian” for decades but has little noticeable change within a relationship that is intended to be transformational.
In both of these areas, it is essential that we invite and allow God to truly be the perfect King and Father in our lives that we say He is. Truth be told, we can easily say He is King but live in active rebellion to His directives in our lives. When we make the decision to let God work in us to grow us into the person He knows we can be, a mighty and productive part of His kingdom, we will grow into a healthy, intimate relationship with the One who knows us best and loves us most. We will benefit from the love, joy, peace, and wisdom that come from that relationship. That health and growth, spiritually and emotionally, will also be reflected in more meaningful and healthier relationships with others.
It is vital that we understand the difference between having a child-like faith and acting out with childish behavior. We must have a child-like approach to and trust in God. Jesus was marked by His special love for children. Child-like faith has utter trust, irrepressible joy, frequent true laughter, and obedience. In that manner, our joy in Jesus continues to grow with maturity. Our emotional maturity reflects the deep relationship of confidence we have in Him. However, selfish, immature behavior causes pain in relationships and does not reflect the One who is my King and Father. There is no likeness.
- What do I see in spiritual and emotional health terms when I look at myself vertically and horizontally? What do you think God sees? What about those who know you best? Any changes required?