I'm not entirely convinced the world likes 'mature' people. People who can wake up early and get things done right. The guys who save their money instead of getting that new TV. Even in my head, I am pushed away by these people. They're not the life of a party and won't be seen in any funny YouTube videos. In today's culture, it seems like maturity is something we're all expected to grow into, but we have no one to model it.
Now, I am far from an expert in maturity. But, I know the Bible calls us to maturity. While I don't even have a nice, clean definition of the word, I think I have some ideas it's based around.
The first thing is being content. You can't be mature without some level of contentedness. It usually happens one day when you realize you're spreading yourself too thin. I wanted (and still do...) to be a great artist, photographer, doctor, friend, movie-maker, writer, and have a kickin' girlfriend. Oh, and get all A's at Rolla so I can go to Med School. But, when I went through and did some prioritizing, Med School trumped all these things. If I wanted to grow into who I wanted to be, Med School had to be the main focus. I had to realize that all the other things I do are great and fun, but some of it had to be cut out so I could grow into schoolwork. I had to be content with getting A's in classes, and not becoming the next Speilberg, Van Gogh, writer for the Office, or Ansel Adams.
From my experiences, the second part of maturity comes from discipline. Oooh... what a terrible word! How about we call it a routine, or a direction. Over the past week, I've been realizing the value of having a routine. I specifically set aside some time to get through some lab reports (instead of doing them the night before at 11 pm), and I realized just how much time I have! The worst part of the routine isn't making a schedule, but following through. This can't happen with any cheap advice or words, but has to come from a greater motivation (at least for me). Some days it happens, and some days it doesn't. This whole process grows you into maturity.
Now, this isn't the complete story for maturity, but at least I got my few cents of experience out there.
Also, I have a challenge. But, it's not to you, my great mass of readers, but to myself. I am going to try to post something once a day! Not only will this help my writing, force me to have a routine, but posting everyday means that I can see if this dumb thing really matters to me. Cause if it doesn't, it's gotta go!
Bryce
