1 Corinthians 13:11 "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things."
If your chronological age is equal to or less than your shoe size, this message does not apply to you. With that being said, I have observed various behaviors from adults over the years that reflect profound spiritual immaturity. People have full grown bodies, but their thought processes lag far behind! We human beings are spirits that have a soul (mind) and a physical body. The world we live in clearly encourages more focus on the physical aspect of a person. As a result, the nonphysical, particularly the spiritual aspects are neglected. The situation is worsened by substance abuse, psychiatric illness, and cognitive disabilities, such as Autism. The damaged or chemically imbalanced brain cannot function properly as the physical receptor of the mind and spirit. Having a well-developed body with immature thinking creates imbalanced energy within us. Why is it important to create balance within ourselves? It raises our vibrations which spreads outward to the world around us. Remember everything starts in the inner world which is the spirit realm inside you and me.
There are several behaviors that occur frequently among grown folks that reflect spiritual immaturity:
- Justifying inappropriate behavior by claiming, "That is just the way I am." That is bull crap! What a poor excuse for poor character. All human beings have been given free will to choose how we express ourselves. Therefore, it is a choice...We have options! The only exception is someone who is clinically ill or cognitively delayed. Someone recently told me about their family member who has been living in a neighborhood for decades and still does not speak to his neighbors, not even the ones living right next door. The person I was conversing with continued to say, "That is just the way he is." No, that is the way he chooses to be! I am aware that speaking or greeting people is not one of the Ten Commandments, but it is a byproduct of self-love and having compassion for others. Saying hello to people does not mandate hanging out with each other or becoming BFF's. It is simply an acknowledgement of another person's existence that, whether you like it or not, impacts your existence...Have you ever heard of the Butterfly Effect? The people around you influence what happens to you, therefore, it makes sense to respect their presence. This person is intelligent and successful with a family and full productive life with no history of mental illness or substance abuse. There is nothing hindering their decision-making. Their behavior is a choice and a bad one. It is particularly disgraceful when individuals who claim they are Christians act this way because their Messiah emphasizes having compassion and love for their fellow human beings. However, the way we act, unless there is a clinical problem, is our choice. The great "I AM" has given everyone the ability to choose the "I am."
- Mistreating a person based on hearsay, gossip, or other people's opinions. Unfortunately, this is a very common behavior that lowers vibrations and creates imbalance. Hearsay and gossip is often based on inaccurate and/or distorted information which are actually lies. You cannot believe or rely on everything you hear even if it comes from someone you trust. That person is only human and flawed like anyone else and can make a mistake. Furthermore, devious individuals intentionally lie on people in order to ruin lives. Unless you have first-hand evidence or actual receipts about someone else, you should not make any conclusive decisions about them. In many cases, you end up mistreating a good or innocent person creating a lot of bad karma for yourself. I know a person who was totally convinced that they saw me at a particular location at a particular time. However, it was not me and I have never been to that place in my life nor did I know it existed. It took exhaustive persuasion for me to finally convince the person it was not me...He was so sure, yet, so wrong. The person who thought they saw me is not a bad person, but they made a big mistake. He could have easily told other people that he saw me at that place who would have believed him. It is okay to trust someone's judgment who you deem as responsible, but never draw conclusions unless you have firsthand information. By all means, never slap labels on people without firsthand knowledge of their character.
- Totally dismissing someone that has been cancelled. Our society has been referred to as a cancel culture because people dismiss people at lightning speed who have said or done something they don't agree with. It does not matter if you are a private or public figure, you at a risk of being black-balled for offending those around you. Being overly judgmental and overly sensitive is low frequency energy. Some feel it is acceptable to search and dig for dirt on others to find something incriminating to use against them. Well, it is not acceptable and highlights the growing hypocrisy in our world. Matthew 7:3 "Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?" No one is perfect and we all have said and done things that were inappropriate or offensive. In some cases, people change and no longer have the same outlook as when the offense was committed. Hastily dismissing people who have offended you might cause you to miss out on gems of wisdom or opportunities. I have often witnessed unpopular people say and do things that were upstanding. An observer recognizing it was good stated, "I agree with what was said and done, but, it is coming from the wrong person." The "but" ruins the whole statement for me. If someone speaks truth or does a good thing they are not the wrong person, but the right one for that moment. Truth is truth and does not change based on the tongue that speaks it. In like manner, a good deed is a good deed. The goodness of the deed is not diminished by the person performing it as long as the motive is good. Although you may not be fond of someone, they still can offer things that might benefit you and others.
- Harassing and taunting someone simply because they have a difference of opinion. A popular saying is, "Agree to disagree." Intelligent people can easily see the logic in that statement. It's okay to have different perspectives, ideologies, and beliefs. Its okay to support different political candidates, spiritual leaders, government systems, etc. As long as you are not endangering someone's safety or threatening someone's freedom, there is nothing wrong with having distinct viewpoints. Diversity is what makes the world spin around! If you look at all the different aspects of creation from the various landscapes to all the different species of living things, animal, and plant life on earth to the different planets, galaxies, and so forth, it is very clear that the Creator loves diversity. In your everyday life, you may know 2 people who don't like each other. However, you may like both of them because they both have traits that you value. No one should force you to pick a side and you have a right to your opinions. Not everyone thinks the same way and everyone has a right to express themselves as long as it does not promote hatred or endanger the well-being of others.
- Talking too much and running your mouth. This is probably the most common dysfunctional behavior among human beings. Spiritual discernment involves knowing when to talk and knowing when to stay quiet. People who talk too much create an imbalance that lowers vibrations. People who listen more than they talk have been scientifically proven to exhibit higher intelligence and spiritual sensibilities. It is during the quiet times that we hear God and divine messages. It is during the quiet times that we are able to listen to the world around us. Listening facilitates learning, increased knowledge, and spiritual growth. However, listening cannot take place if one is always running their mouth. Big mouth=little brain! I am not trying to offend anyone, but I must keep it 100. Not only how much we talk, but what we say is extremely important. Proverbs 18:21 "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruits." Words carry energy that have power to manifest our realities. We must make an effort to speak positivity and life into our environment in order to manifest the same.
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