I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of SPIRITUAL MATURITY.
As a parent of a 3 year old, I see a lot of examples of her levels of maturity:
-When I tell her she can’t dunk her battery-operated toys in the water table outside, she gets frustrated that I am taking away her fun.
-When we encourage keeping the Sabbath Day holy, she focuses on everything that she can’t do on Sundays.
-She gets really upset when someone else isn’t following the rules.
-When she is really really tired or hungry, she loses any little amount of maturity she had left in her and anything could set her off.
-She changes her mind on what she wants to eat for lunch after I have already made it.
-She doesn’t always say please or thank you, and she ultimately has no idea what sacrifices I make out of love in order to make her life fairly enjoyable, fun, and safe. And that’s okay. As a parent, I don’t expect her to see or recognize it all.
Okay… did you notice any parallels to your own spiritual understanding?
Here’s what I’ve noticed. How many times have I thought:
-That Heavenly Father was giving me rules that were keeping me away from having more fun?
-That the Sabbath is more of a burden than a blessing?
-That I have to be concerned and worried about everyone else’s decisions?
-That I can ignore healthy food and sleep habits and still function well? (HINT: I absolutely cannot 
)
-That I actually wanted a different blessing or opportunity than the one He gave me?
-That I should try and do better at saying prayers of gratitude to my Heavenly Father, forgetting that I only see a sliver of what He actually does for me?
Spiritual maturity is essential to develop.
In D&C 109:15, the Kirtland saints prayed: “that they may grow up in thee”.
We aren’t going to be fully spiritually mature right now. But we can take inventory:
Are we understanding the importance of seeing the big picture?
Are we maturing?
Are we growing up in the Lord?
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
