Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Adolescence/Teen Years (07/16/09)
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TITLE: Don't Go Back | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jaye Seay
07/19/09 -
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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 my childish ways behind me.
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It has been noted that the human brain is not fully developed until the years of the early twenties. For this reason, certain rights and privileges are not conferred until the age of 21. When one turns 21, the brain is closer to becoming fully developed. In our early twenties, our reasoning skills become sharper and our decision making capabilities improve. We become wiser and more mature. In contrast, during our teenage years, our decision making skills were less than reliable. Because our brains were still developing, we may have made some questionable decisions that we look back on and wonder what we were thinking.
Similarly, when we first began our walk with Christ, our spiritual mind was also not fully developed. We may have gone back and forth from trying to live right to falling back into sin to trying to live right again. Our faith may have been fragile. Just one hard trial may have been enough for us to turn away from God. For a time, maybe we would not open our Bible, we would stop praying and possibly not even attend church. Actions such as these are the result of spiritual immaturity that many Christians go through on their walk with Christ.
If we remain steadfast and hold on to our faith, we will grow and become stronger. As we have more experiences with God, we will become more steady believers. Time with God will help us to mature in our faith.
As 1 Corinthians 13:11 says, at some point we will put our childish ways behind us. When we reach this point in our Christian development, we will fight back against sin, stay strong in faith when we endure trials and will seek God even when the circumstances of our lives try to keep us from doing so.
As we advance in our Christian walk, we will be better able to communicate with God through prayer. We will be better able to encourage and minister to those in need. We will also be better able to apply the Word of God to practical problems in our lives.
I believe that we will continuously grow in our walk with Christ. For one, we are not perfect. But just as human beings transition out of the teenage years into adulthood, believers should strive to increase and develop their faith. As we mature in our faith, we should find that we will want to leave our past ways behind. Our desire will be to grow closer to God and live in line with His Word. As our relationship with God grows, how freely we will put our childish ways behind.
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