Excerpt on Maturity

Below is an excerpt from a book on maturity I'm currently working on. 

 

Many years ago on "The Merv Griffin Show," the guest was a body builder. During the interview, Merv asked "Why do you develop those particular muscles?" The body builder simply stepped forward and flexed a series of well-defined muscles from chest to calf. The audience applauded. "What do you use all those muscles for?" Merv asked. Again, the muscular specimen flexed, and biceps and triceps sprouted to impressive proportions. "But what do you USE those muscles for?" Merv persisted. The body builder was bewildered. He didn't have an answer other than to display his well-developed frame. I was reminded that our spiritual exercises--Bible study, prayer, reading Christian books, listening to Christian radio and tapes--are also for a purpose. They're meant to strengthen our ability to build God's kingdom, not simply to improve our pose before an admiring audience. [1]

 

When we want to see what maturity looks like, we don’t set it on stage and it become a sideshow of personal aggrandizement. Maturity is neatly wrapped in the priceless attribute of humility; therefore, it demonstrates itself through actions that place the attention on others – not self. If you put  it on stage, it would not flex its muscles to draw applause but only use them to benefit another.  Ironically, personal development and growth is the benefit of doing for others. If all I do is for me, driven by selfish ambition, I actually deplete myself instead of truly building myself.

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[1] Gary Gulbranson, Leadership, Summer, 1989, p. 43.