Maturity Is Learned

My son and his wife were home over the weekend.
They brought their dog as well.
She is so much bigger than the little puppy they got months ago.
She is obedient and smart; my son is definitely her master.

When they first brought their dog home, I was amazed at the speed with which she ate.
My son would have a small cup filled with the dry dog food in his hand.
After a series of commands, Wait, Sit, Back, the food was poured into the bowl.
However, the food was not poured into the bowl all at once, since she practically inhaled it.

She would eat the first of three helpings in an instant and go back to her sitting position.
She would sit and look up at my son with her pleading eyes.
After, Wait, Back, was commanded again, the second bit of food was poured into the bowl.
She ate that as quickly as he poured it.

I watched her eat this past weekend.
It is very different now.
She is older.
Wait, Sit, Back do not even have to be said; those commands have been learned.

She eats much slower now.
All of her food can be poured into her bowl at one time.
She has learned to trust.
She has leaned that her needs will be met.

But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. (Psalm 131:2)

It takes maturity to be patient.
It takes maturity to wait.
It takes maturity to trust that your needs will be met.
It takes maturity to realize that everything does not have to happen in an instant.

Maturity means listening and accepting advice.
Maturity means being teachable.
Maturity means knowing that you do not know everything.
Maturity is the realization that people older than you have wisdom from which you can glean.

Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him: “Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.” Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then come back to me.” So the people went away. Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How would you advise me to answer these people?” he asked. They replied, “If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.” But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. He asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”  The young men who had grown up with him replied, “These people have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.’ Now tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.’” Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, “Come back to me in three days.” The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the Lord…So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. (1 Kings 12:1-15,19)

Rehoboam was the son of King Solomon and the grandson of King David.
For the sake of His promises to David, God allowed Rehoboam to keep one of the twelve tribes.
The other ten tribes were given to Jeroboam.
The tribe of Levi, who were the priests, were not included in this division.

Jeroboam came to Rehoboam and asked that he lighten the load that Solomon inflicted.
Rehoboam asked for three days in order to consult others to help him make the decision.
The elders who advised his father gave him sound advice.
The young men who had grown up with him, gave him poor advice.

Rehoboam dismissed the advice of those who were older and wiser.
He accepted the advice of his peers who were not wise and who acted harshly.
As a result, terrible divisions happened among the Israelites.
Jeroboam ruled over Israel and Rehoboam ruled over Judah.

We may read this account and recognize the immaturity and lack of discernment.
However, if we are honest, we should see ourselves as well.
How often do we accept fine sounding arguments and dismiss wise counsel?
How often do we dismiss the discernment God gave us for the advice of our peers?

We tend to listen to people who tell us what we want to hear.
We avoid those who we know in our heart will tell us the tough things.
We forget that God places discerning people in our midst to help us as we journey.
We forget that the Holy Spirit gives us discernment as well, which we fail to trust.

We are like my son’s dog when she was a puppy.
We fail to wait.
We fail to be patient.
We fail to trust.

God allows us to go forward in our stubbornness and rebellion.
God allows us to make mistakes.
When we are at the end of ourselves, we see how foolish we have been.
God is there; God has been there all along.

God often turns us over to ourselves when we are too stubborn to listen to Him.
God allows us to accept unwise counsel.
God allows us to experience the consequences of that lack of wisdom.
Through it all, God is there; God has been there all along.