“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children …” (Ephesians 4:13,14)
A mark of childishness is an inability to be denied a desire. Immaturity is revealed when the word “wait” is given, let alone the word “no.” On the other hand, maturity is proven by the strength and poise one shows in a day of want.
This is not simply a matter of chronological age. There are some seven year olds who show more maturity than some senior citizens. When will we grow up? When we learn from our Lord how not to “act out” when what we want is denied or delayed. When instead of resorting to a natural impatience we learn to walk in a supernatural patience.
God has so much to teach us in a wilderness. It is there we can learn obedience through the things we suffer. Yes, there is suffering in not getting what our soul longs to have. Ask any child. But do we expect of children what we don’t ask of ourselves?
It is high time we grow up. If not now, when?