According to a new study, the brain reaches peak efficiency around 32 across five major life phases: childhood (0–9), adolescence (9–32), adulthood (32–66), early aging (66–83), and late aging (83+). This is contrary to the previous understanding that adolescence ranged from 9 to 32. Although peak efficiency is at 32, the study found that intelligence and personality stabilize afterward. In other words, we can still grow regardless of our age.
Christians know this to be true because we are also growing. In our spiritual walks with Christ, there is no age limit. There is no sense of plateau in the context of spiritual growth. But rather, we grow continually as the Lord continues to work in our lives. I also want to clarify that growth is not completely linear. Sometimes we have bad days. Sometimes it's like one step forward, three steps back. But the worst thing is when we take it out on our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in a moment of conflict or misunderstanding. Either we fail to show mercy to them, or they fail to show mercy to us.Or in some cases, both take place simultaneously. When that happens, we are not growing because we are not displaying patience to others. Let alone love them. So let us ask the following question:
ASK: If God is patient with our lifelong growing pains, how might we extend that same patience to ourselves and the people around us—especially when immaturity shows up in unexpected seasons?
Be Merciful As God Has Been Merciful
There is no doubt that our God has been merciful. We have come to recognize that mercy the moment He saved us, and we continue to recognize His mercy to us time and time again. It is mind-blowing to understand how merciful the Lord has been to us, as it is a demonstration of His patience. It is part of who He is. Psalm 103:8 says, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” Although we recognize that God is just and judges the wicked for their sin, His mercy has been so much more. The Apostle Paul, formerly a persecutor of Christians as Saul of Tarsus, can attest to the mercy of the Lord ,as he used to persecute Christians as Saul of Tarsus before that life-changing encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus (see Acts 9).
Writing to his protege and son in the faith, Timothy, Paul explains, “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” The apostle sees his life as a testimony of Christ’s mercy toward him as an example to others who have yet to believe in Him. Like Paul, we are also testimonies of the Lord’s mercy so that our lives would serve as an example to others.
We also see how the apostle Peter explained how God is “patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Mercy is given to the nonbeliever as the Lord desires that they would be saved. This is a reason why Jesus hasn’t returned, so that more people come to repentance. Overall, we see that God has been merciful to us, so that is something that we are to extend to ourselves and others when there are moments of immaturity. We must be reminded that Christ has been merciful to us; thus, we must be merciful to others.
Never Disregard Others Because They Are Not At Your Level
One way of being merciful to us is not disregarding others because they are not as spiritually mature as you are. But then again, such disregard should question your maturity as well. Everyone is running the same race as we look unto Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). When we disregard others, we fail to build them up as the body of Christ and unite as brothers and sisters. Overall, it is not spiritually mature as we are to reflect Christ in our lives in word, thought, and deed.
Just as God has been patient with you and others have been patient with you, you have no reason not to extend patience to others, because that shows immaturity. In addition to dealing with spiritual maturity, we must also practice emotional maturity. Conflict resolution is a must amongst the body of Christ, as we are called to love one another as Christ loved us. Let there be no place for unforgiveness lest you are not forgiven by God (Matthew 6:14-15)
Show Grace By Building Up and Maturing
You must remind each other of the encouragement we have in Christ. Instead of tearing each other down, we are to build each other up. We see that God has equipped the church with the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:11-13). The point of these roles was to build up the body of Christ for their edification and maturity.
Although leaders are important, we likewise must build each other up. For we are the body of Christ, we have all been baptized into one body. As the apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” - 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 ESV
Likewise, there should be no place for comparisons whether is feeling like you’re don’t belong to the body because you not like the others, like if you are not a hand, neither should you exclude others because they are different than you because God has put the body together, meaning every one is a true born again, Christian has their part to play in the body of Christ. So why must there be division? Why must we put others down? That is not healthy behavior, and it is not consistent with a Christian life. If that’s the case, then there’s really no maturity because ultimately, maturity entails being more like Christ. It is the recognition that “God works all things together for good for those who love him according to his purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He predestined to be conformed to the image of his son in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:28-29). Our goal as Christians is to grow like Christ. It is more than self-improvement. It is sanctification. It is holiness. It is denying ourselves and following Christ. And likewise, we are to point each other to Christ because that is what true maturity entails when the body of Christ is united together in the spirit of fellowship under Christ, who is the head of the church. He is a groom, and we are his bride.
Am I Loving My Neighbor Today?
As we close, consider this one question: Am I loving my neighbor today? The two greatest commandments in all of scripture are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). The moment we are tempted to disregard our neighbor, we must ask ourselves, are we loving them as we should? And when it comes to the body of Christ, we must be able to ask ourselves: “Am I loving my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ?” Because that's what makes all the difference. You can have all the gifts in the world, but without love, you have nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2). So I pray that you take the time to reflect on loving our neighbor as ourselves and then go out and love them because that's what we are called to do, so we can grow up together to the glory of God. Amen.
Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/Natali_Mis
