I’ve found few things are permanent, that failure is a choice.
I’m responsible for the bridges that I burn.
I’ve found that no one’s perfect; everybody stubs his toe,
And mistakes are opportunities to learn.”
–Red Steagall (“Failure”)
“Therefore strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, and make straight paths for your feet…”
–Hebrews 12:12-13a(HCSB)
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I used to tell students that such-and-such is pet peeve #???. I would make up a number, but one day a student asked, “How many “pet peeves” do you have? I quickly responded, 150; this person actually started writing down each time I mentioned a pet peeve. Today, I want to give you Pet Peeve #27. It riles me, causes my gizzard to have a fit when I hear someone say, someone who is supposed to be an adult–“I have to be an adult today,” or “I hate adulting.” Where do they think they live, in Never, Never Land? My mercy, they have had eighteen years of their life to begin to prepare. What were they doing!??
One time a student came to me and asked, “Do you think I’m an adult?” I didn’t reply yes or no, but simply asked, “Do you accept responsibility?” He gave a sheepish grin and walked away. That’s one of our problems today, is people thinking that just because they reach a certain age they are an adult. No, my friend, being an adult is someone who is mature–they accept responsibility. I came across a couple of items that describe maturity. Neither one had an author.
Maturity is the ability to base a judgment on the big picture…the long haul.
Maturity is the ability to stick with a project or situation until it is finished.
Maturity is the ability to face unpleasantness, frustration, discomfort and defeat without complaint or collapse.
Maturity is the ability to live up to your responsibilities and this means being dependable, keeping your word. The world is filled with people who can’t be counted on. People who never seem to come through in the clutches. People who break promises.
Maturity is the ability to make a decision and stand by it.
Maturity is the ability to harness your abilities and energies.
Quit crying, whimpering, and murmuring and become an adult. It is who you are supposed to be.
Maturity is the ability to tolerate an injustice without wanting to get even.
Maturity is patience. It is the willingness to postpone immediate gratification in favor of the long-term gain.
Maturity is perseverance, sweating out a project in the face of heavy opposition and discouraging setbacks.
Maturity is humility. It is being big enough to say, “I was wrong.” And when right, the mature person is able to forego the satisfaction of saying, “I told you so.”
Maturity is the ability to evaluate a situation, make a decision and stick with it. The immature spend their lives exploring possibilities, changing their minds and in the end they do nothing.
Maturity means dependability, keeping one’s word, coming through in a crisis. The immature are masters of the alibi. They are confused and disorganized. Their lives are a maze of broken promises, former friends, unfinished business and good intentions that never materialized.
Maturity is the art of living in peace with that which we cannot change, the courage to change that which can be changed and the wisdom to know the difference.
So put aside the Peter Pan Syndrome and get busy becoming and/or being an adult. The Lord expects you to live life abundantly, in fact, more abundantly (John 10:10). Life is living–but living up to your means. Quit making alibis, excuses, and crying about having to be an adult. Accept your responsibility before the Lord–go forward in the way He has for you, and grow up. It is a sad thing to see so many adults age-wise, but still act like a child.
“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things.”
–1 Corinthians 13:11 (HCSB)
————————–
I used to tell students that such-and-such is pet peeve #???. I would make up a number, but one day a student asked, “How many “pet peeves” do you have? I quickly responded, 150; this person actually started writing down each time I mentioned a pet peeve. Today, I want to give you Pet Peeve #27. It riles me, causes my gizzard to have a fit when I hear someone say, someone who is supposed to be an adult–“I have to be an adult today,” or “I hate adulting.” Where do they think they live, in Never, Never Land? My mercy, they have had eighteen years of their life to begin to prepare. What were they doing!??
One time a student came to me and asked, “Do you think I’m an adult?” I didn’t reply yes or no, but simply asked, “Do you accept responsibility?” He gave a sheepish grin and walked away. That’s one of our problems today, is people thinking that just because they reach a certain age they are an adult. No, my friend, being an adult is someone who is mature–they accept responsibility. I came across a couple of items that describe maturity. Neither one had an author.
Maturity is the ability to base a judgment on the big picture…the long haul.
Maturity is the ability to stick with a project or situation until it is finished.
Maturity is the ability to face unpleasantness, frustration, discomfort and defeat without complaint or collapse.
Maturity is the ability to live up to your responsibilities and this means being dependable, keeping your word. The world is filled with people who can’t be counted on. People who never seem to come through in the clutches. People who break promises.
Maturity is the ability to make a decision and stand by it.
Maturity is the ability to harness your abilities and energies.
Quit crying, whimpering, and murmuring and become an adult. It is who you are supposed to be.
Maturity is the ability to tolerate an injustice without wanting to get even.
Maturity is patience. It is the willingness to postpone immediate gratification in favor of the long-term gain.
Maturity is perseverance, sweating out a project in the face of heavy opposition and discouraging setbacks.
Maturity is humility. It is being big enough to say, “I was wrong.” And when right, the mature person is able to forego the satisfaction of saying, “I told you so.”
Maturity is the ability to evaluate a situation, make a decision and stick with it. The immature spend their lives exploring possibilities, changing their minds and in the end they do nothing.
Maturity means dependability, keeping one’s word, coming through in a crisis. The immature are masters of the alibi. They are confused and disorganized. Their lives are a maze of broken promises, former friends, unfinished business and good intentions that never materialized.
Maturity is the art of living in peace with that which we cannot change, the courage to change that which can be changed and the wisdom to know the difference.
So put aside the Peter Pan Syndrome and get busy becoming and/or being an adult. The Lord expects you to live life abundantly, in fact, more abundantly (John 10:10). Life is living–but living up to your means. Quit making alibis, excuses, and crying about having to be an adult. Accept your responsibility before the Lord–go forward in the way He has for you, and grow up. It is a sad thing to see so many adults age-wise, but still act like a child.
“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things.”
–1 Corinthians 13:11 (HCSB)