The apostle Paul spoke of how his love had matured. He contrasted himself to a child, and the outlook or mentality of a child. “When I was a child, I thought like a child…” Sometimes in our relationships, we act like the immaturity of a child
- selfish,
- reluctant to share,
- reluctant to support,
- insistent on having our own way
- Mature love is generous and gracious, because it actually cares about the thoughts and well-being of the other person.
- Mature love is a mutually trusting love
- Mature love is long suffering
- Patient
- Kind
- Redemptive
- Forgiving
- Sharing
- Willing to listen
- Not jealous
- Does not insist on its own way
- Bears all things
- Believes all things
- Hopes all things
- Endures all things
Paul acknowledges that he did not always feel this way. For many of us, maturity and love is something we grow into. It is not unusual in the early stages of a loving relationship we might say and do things we end up regretting.
Sidebar: Sometimes the love of a child is more pure then the love of an adult, and its so-called maturity. Children have a way of intuitively and instinctively determining who they like, and who they do not like. Unfortunately, as adults, in our maturity, we think we know so much, and have experienced so much, we end up losing the pure instinctive love of a child.
Often, if a child loves you, they will believe, hope, and trust, even to their own detriment. Some of us, as adults, would do well if we could go back to the outlook, mentality and trust of a child.
When Paul reflects upon the transition from his immature to a mature love, he compares his emotional transition from one who is looking in a mirror dimly, only at himself, to one who is mature who can view the other person face to face.
Some of us are stuck only thinking about ourselves, and even then it is as if we are looking through a mirror dimly. To look at each other face to face, means we have stripped away the pretense, stripped away the shallow -ness, and become one with one another.
Our love cannot mature until we humble ourselves to see each other as valued, vital, and worthwhile individuals, that are equal to ourselves. I challenge you to score your love on the bases of maturity.
Are you only looking in a mirror dimly, and at what point are you seeing face to face?
