Emotional Maturity

[teresaq]

ever wonder how old you are emotionally? probably not. at least most all of us would like to believe that we are at least as spiritually and emotionally mature as our chronological age, if not considerably "older"...at least we would like to think so... lol

Quote:

When I first read that chapter, I was shocked at how accurately the information described ---- complete developmental arrest. In my opinion, in the case of my daughter, it is far more accurate to describe her “developmental trajectory” as stalled rather than as abnormal—even “quite” abnormal. It has been a few years since I first read that chapter, but when I did, nearly every single indicator showed --- operating at the developmental age and stage of two… the age she was when she arrived in our home. ....

How does one explain the idea that children who have been traumatized act exactly age appropriate for a 2 year old, a 3 or 4 year old, etc. even at the age of 14 or 15, or 30, 40, 60 or more?

what emotional age-appropriate behavior do we display regardless of our chronological age?

the good news is that there is a reason we are stuck. the second good news is that if we recognize and accept that we are stuck, God can and does heal...

the bad news is,

that if we refuse to acknowledge we are stuck, everyone but ourselves will know it...lol

[Dottie]

What is the source of the quote? It appears to describe a child who has had several placements, and has developed a defense which might possibly be diagnosed as a disorder.

[teresaq]

that was just a sample on emotional maturity...one case, but the circumstances can vary where any of us have become stuck emotionally at some pre-adult stage.

here is a sermon i found interesting where a pastor is dealing with this issue...

http://www.ucg.org/sermons/transcripts/200304emotionalmaturity.htm

Let's talk about a fifth area, and that is arrested spiritual development. How about arrested spiritual development? Children who freeze their emotional and intellectual progress as certain level is said to become victims of arrested development. Sometimes it can be from a trauma in their lives, from abuse as a child and they kind of stop where they were. Now we have all even known adult men who woman who appear to be emotionally young, emotionally adolescents. Now when we find Christians who've been baptized for decades behaving as though they were baby Christians, we're probably looking at cases of arrested spiritual development. Right? If we find ourselves fighting the same old problems we fought when we were first converted, we may be suffering from it ourselves. Here's some way of testing for arrested spiritual development and then we're going to look at a spiritual passage in this regard:

Do you still have just big a problem with your temper as when you were first converted?

Do you feel spiritual powerless?

Do you have long dry spells in which nothing seems to be going on between you and God?

Are you unable to generate love, care and concern for others?

Do you live a fundamentally self-centered, self-seeking life?

Do you still seek to manipulate and control others; through tantrums, emotional blackmail and negative stroke seeking?

Is it all about you?

Do anger, hatred and jealousy play an inordinately large role in the way you express your personality?

Do you put others down to make yourself look better?

Does you life reflect more of the works of the flesh than the fruit of the Spirit?

So the answers to some of these questions could be revealing for me and for you as we think about them and they can be helpful in taking stock of where we are in our trajectory towards emotional and spiritual maturity. Now we're going to read something again from Paul here in I Corinthians, chapter 3 because it's clear that Paul was frustrated and disappointed with the Corinthians level of ability to understand spiritual truths. It appears to be an issue of moral irresponsibility. We know this because he rebukes them for it. To not develop and mature is not correct and I guess we see here in I Corinthians, chapter 3, a case of arrested spiritual development in the Corinthians church.

[teresaq]

Quote:

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Joh 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

here Jesus talks about being born again...

if we have been in the church all our lives is it a given that we have been born again?

if we have been born again, were we born again fully grown as adam--or are we emotionally, spiritually, mentally at a younger age?

not that there should be any stigma associated with that...but that we could recognize it and seek maturity...

Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: