One Mark of Spiritual Maturity

Some of us in the church believe that we’re doing a good job if we’re raising our kids like those three little monkeys on the statue. You know them – Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil. We believe that if we can somehow shield and bunker our children away from the evil influences of the world, then evil won’t be a part of their lives. This is not only a bad idea, it’s actually a theologically wrong idea. When Jesus calls his followers to be salt and light in the world, He is calling us as He prayed in John 17 on the night before his death, to be in but not of the world. To go deep in the things of God and to nurture our kids into that same deep place is to embrace the balanced lifestyle that theologian John Stott– describes as being “spiritually distinct, but not socially segregated.” One of the marks of spiritual maturity is endeavoring to maintain a redemptive presence in the world. That is, after all, the will of our Heavenly Father. Are you praying this for your kids?