There are sometimes that I wish I could walk up to some people, adults only, and grab them by the shirt collars and holler at them – “GROW UP”. (My kids I want to holler – “stop growing!). It never ceases to amaze me the level of immaturity of some adults today. And not even new adults, ones that are in their 30s and think they are still in their teens.
I remember, as a teen, seeing some of my friend’s parents trying to dress like a teen and we just sat there ad laughed at them. They thought they were so cool. Now I see my friends suffering from broken homes and marriages because their spouse and them couldn’t work things out. They can’t stop abusing a substance, or are addicted to other things. In reality, they are addicted to themselves and so selfish it makes me want to scream!
I have been posting a lot about being like a child. That is in your relationship with God – trusting as a child and following as a child. In real life, as we get older we need to mature and take responsibility for our actions and for what happens in our lives. When I was younger I remember doing a skit with a youth group at Westminster Church in St. Clair, PA. I don’t remember much of it, but do remember one of my friends coming up and saying this verse. Now imagine someone talking in a kid voice for the first part of the verse, then changing it to a super deep voice for the second part:
1 Corinthians 13:11: “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.”
Granted, we were probably sophomores in high school when he did that rendition of the verse, but it still sticks with me. When we became an adult, we need to put childish things behind us! That means, doing something that will hurt others just because it feels good or I want to. Now I am all for pedicures, hair appointments, fishing trips (for my husband) things that help you to maintain sanity and have fun at the same time. I don’t have a problem with drinking every once in a while or going out to the casino and having fun. Things just for you are fine, but when those things consume you and start making ruling your life, start hurting those that you love and care about, that is when it becomes bad. When you steal from your friends and family, sneak things away to do these things, that is when there is a problem.
My 3 year old and my 6 year old nephew that is visiting are constantly fighting. They both want the same toy at the same time. They don’t care who was playing with it, they saw that it looked fun and are trying to grab it from the other. Then I hear “but mommy, I really really want to play with it right now” mixed in with tears. Or I hear “Aunt Cat… I was playing with it first and she took it from me”, when in reality she hadn’t.
Kids grab at things that they think are going to make them happy. They want toys and items others are playing with because they think that they are going to have that much fun doing it too. In reality, when the other person gives it up and moves on to a different toy- the toy of desire looses its appeal and is really not as much fun as the child thought that it was in the first place.
Affairs, drugs, alcohol, porn, gambling… all these things are something that and adult could look at and say – hey that will be fun. But the new toy is going to wear off, you are going to have to figure out different ways to play with it. The drugs and alcohol and high from gambling or self pleasure is going to wear off and what are you left with? You are left with a headache, a smaller bank account, a hurt person, and a desire (for some strange reason) to do it all again and hurt more people.
I can tell you that problems and issues like this that are not dealt with escalate. How many times have you heard of someone that stared with a drink or two a day, then they couldn’t stop. A domestic violence situation that never had been out of hand before now get out of hand and one person become seriously injured or even killed. A gambling problem leading to bankruptcy and then a divorce.
As adults, we have to keep ourselves accountable, we have to make sure that what we choose to do will work with our life and not against it. There are other escapes people. Escaped into the word of God, escape into prayer- used that addictive personality and apply it to your family. Be addicted to your family.
People now a days don’t seem to take responsibility for any of their own actions. There are so many “disorders” and “illnesses” being diagnosed now a days that it is an easy excuse for our actions. Since these disorders are being diagnosed now, we have to be more understanding and accepting of them. Now some are completely legit and we do need to be more understanding etc… but back when our parents and grandparents were growing up, they didn’t have a diagnosis for everything. They just dealt with the hand they were given and made it work for them.
I think that the best drug that you can take for anything that we are struggling with is a good dose of the BIBLE… a good dose of Jesus – of the love of the church (hopefully you can find a loving church). We need to put off our childish ways and take responsibility for our actions, take responsibility for our children and for our lives.
Comments
Post a Comment