Day 80, Year 1

Pursuing a Life For Growth

“But when I became a man, I put away childish things.” (1 Corinthians 13:11b NKJV)

The above half of the verse is particularly essential. The biblical culture, as a whole, encourages people to mature and become adults, and growing into adulthood seems to be a prerequisite for believers to understand profoundly and experience the biblical faith. The attitude of accepting and pursuing change in the growing process is crucial for constantly advancing in the faith journey.

Conversely, in some contemporary cultures, there is an emphasis on inclusion and equality, and even encourages people not to grow up, because they view life as a game. Some argue that the modes for children and adults are alike and people can choose either. Some do not mind being deceived like children, as they often deceive others. They believe that deception is common in interpersonal relationships and that people do not need to take it seriously as long as everyone enjoys themselves; yet, if anyone takes life seriously, they lose. However, these beliefs, mindsets, and cultural values are against the mentality of growing up and pursuing maturity and thus create obstacles for believers.

People in some cultures embrace changes and can readily accept the Christian faith, but they might also quickly abandon it. In contrast, people in some other cultures resist change and find it difficult to believe in Jesus. To illustrate, some insist on believing in Buddhism as their ancestors did. Many have a preconceived belief. However, those who resist change are likely to be steadfast in their faith once they believe in Jesus. Hence, the aforementioned need for change in growth is not about constantly changing, but more akin to a Chinese saying of “choosing the good and sticking to it.”

The prerequisite for putting away childish things is always an available choice for believers to grow into adulthood, including becoming discerning and less gullible. This process often requires multi-dimensional thinking—apart from considering an event itself, we need to think through its source and underlying meaning, the people or things involved, the different results, and how God views the event. Getting used to multifaceted thinking before making decisions could help us to be less gullible. Yet, people could find many options in some metropolises but less room to think extensively. So in this case, we could consider: if a suggestion is rejected, will there be disastrous consequences? If there is no negativity, it is generally safer to reject the suggestion.

Reflection questions:

1) Referring to today’s verse and the first two paragraphs, would you like to live with the adult mentality? Why?

2) Are you a person who “chooses the good and sticks to it”? If not, what areas do you need improvement?