Does Your Maturity Get You Through Adversity?

Philippians 3:12-14

Daily bumps in the road can seem like mountains that we crash into; how are your shock absorbers?

Soul Food

Philippians 3:12-14

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Soul Search

• Can you recall a situation in life that seemed so bad in the moment that you ‘lost it?’
  What was the situation and how did you react?

• When you react intensely to otherwise minor situations and you become emotionally charged and upset, who pays the price besides you?
  Does your family pay the price being around you?
  Your friends?
  Can you talk about what that looks like?

• How hard or how easy do you find it to let difficult or challenging things go?
  Do awkward or bad situations cling on to you like super glue or are you able to let them slip off knowing that they will pass relatively quickly?

• Are you able to stand outside yourself and see the ‘look’ you take on when you become upset and even angry over unsettling and inconvenient situations?
  Is your ‘look’ like that of a mature adult or more like that of an inconvenienced child?
  Are there areas of your character and temperament where it’s time to mature and grow up?

Soul Moves

• We all have unique characters and temperaments.
  We all react to things differently.
  However, some of our reactions are mature and some are immature.
  Can you honestly assess yourself and see predictable patterns in how you respond to challenging and difficult situations?
  Do you see patterns of spiritual and emotional maturity or do you see immaturity?

• Ask God to help you deal with your immaturity as it has to do with how you react to difficult and challenging situations.

• If you’re brave about confronting your own immaturity, ask the people closest to you to tell you what they see about your character and temperament when you come under pressure.

• If you want to see positive change happen and your maturity develop, be accountable to someone who cares enough about you to confront you in positive ways when they see that your immaturity is ruling the moment.