The trinity of time, knowledge, and godliness come together to give wisdom and maturity. These are the things that enable us to see further than we used to. Through our own experiences (learning things the hard way) as well as by vicarious experiences, maturity accumulates. So, we should tap into all those resources of maturity and get advice from the broader community that God has surrounded us with.

Babies that are born premature often lack certain biological functionalities and require some special medical assistance. Even healthy babies are dependent on others for their health and survival. As a normal child grows toward maturity, we recognize that an inherent immaturity is always part of the mix. Assessment of this maturity level differs between the child, the parents, and others. The child often thinks he’s more mature than he actually is. Thus, he makes premature determinations about situations, things, and people without the necessary and sufficient information and experience needed for sound judgments. For example, the five-year-old assures us that he doesn’t like some new food on his plate even though he has never seen or tasted that food before. The fact that the food is new to him is (in his premature opinion) sufficient data for him to draw his conclusions. Most children will grow up and come to love many of the foods they first rejected. Maturity provides needed perspective. Maturity brings wisdom.

Now there are two lessons I want to draw from this point of pre-maturity. One lesson is for parents who are trying to raise their children to be responsible, mature adults. Parents, you’re there to provide the mature perspective that your children don’t yet possess. Therefore, you decide what’s good for them when it comes to things like: food, sleep, hygiene, clothes, music, entertainment, friends, work, church, and a world of other things. This doesn’t mean they can’t or shouldn’t make some decisions, but it does mean that you’re guiding and overseeing that process and not simply leaving it up to their premature whims. You have lived longer and can see further than they can. That’s why God gave them parents.

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