Maturity

Lately I have been delighted to read many LDS General Conference talks from the 1980s. They're spectacular. Today, as part of my study, I wish to write about "The Meaning of Maturity" by Derek A. Cuthbert.

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King Solomon, in his youth, was called to be king. The Lord asked Solomon in a dream what He should give to him, and Solomon reflected on his greatest need. He says, "I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. ... Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad." (1 Kings 3:7, 9)

"And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore." (1Kings 4:29)

... Wisdom. Understanding. Largeness of Heart.

Do you ever wake up one day and think to yourself, "what have I been praying for all of these years/months/weeks?" Or how selfish and meaningless your prayers are, until you are going through something extremely painful. Sometimes it seems like you don't really know what to pray for until that point. What incredibly gifts to pray for, these three. The gifts of maturity. 

Elder Cuthbert outlines 10 qualities that are necessary to be mature. I love this, because 5 of them are childlike qualities, and 5 are qualities to be developed later in life. It's interesting that we have to be childlike to be mature.

Innocence | Guileless, pure. "Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God." (D&C 93:38)

Humility | "We live in a world where men have largely turned away from righteousness and are self-seeking, gratifying their pride and vain ambition." (Can I just say that I love the phrase "vain ambition" ... just like "vain repetition." What's the point? Where will that ambition lead you? It may be lauded by the world, and may even be somewhat fulfilling to you, but will it make you truly happy? Does it fulfill the plan of salvation? Is it distracting you from your true goals? Is some of your focus and hard work in vain?)

Simplicity | "A child is uncomplicated and expresses himself without becoming devious." I really appreciate the mention of this aspect of maturity. It is a part of integrity to be simple, to be sure that the people you interact with understand you, and especially that you're not "tricking" someone into something. "I fear [that] your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." (2 Cor 11:3)

Complications can distract us from those pure principles that steady us. The gospel has a simple framework. That simplicity creates the strongest foundation, around which we can pour our mortar of faith. It is only then that we can build the glorious, deep doctrine upon the foundation. Without it, all will crumble. "Life should be beautifully simple. And then it will be simply beautiful." (Elder M. Cowley)

Faith | It is the child who believes in miracles. The child who prays and miraculously finds what he is looking for. The child who is healed so easily, because faith is real power. And they know it.


Love | Love unfeigned, love that doesn't excuse oneself, love that doesn't neglect, love that risks everything. Something happens as we grow older. We're afraid of showing love because it might hurt us, or because it might cause complications down the road (it's easier to not show anything, right?). But people truly need us. I had an experience last night that reminded me of how fragile we really are, and how tenderly the Lord loves us, and how much people need us. We need each other!
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I wont have time to write everything that I want to, but I just wanted to mention the other 5 principles.

Wisdom | "Wisdom comes from a realization of true values and priorities." (If we are to attain knowledge, we must also seek wisdom simultaneously.)

Leadership | "Every honorable kind of leadership" (not just in the Church). "It is sobering to realize that, as parents, our children have been placed in our care as a sacred trust by the Almighty God himself." (See Deut. 6:6-7)


Accountability |  "[Maturity] is realizing that we are accountable, acting accordingly, and being prepared to live an accounting to those in authority over us and eventually to the Lord himself."
Don't drop your guard or compromise the principles of the gospel! Satan is actively distracting us, but we will be accountable for everything that we do, or neglect to do, during this life, day to day.

Dependability | Oh yes, please. I do not consider someone truly mature, unless they are dependable. There are so many people that I truly love, but with whom I cannot share the deepest of myself, my "pearls." Because they simply are not dependable. This virtue first becomes apparent in the smallest things -- phone calls returned promptly, timeliness, reliability. It is later manifest in giving of oneself; I know someone is dependable if I feel comfortable calling them up when I am having a hard time and need someone to be there for me, to be a second rock. It's true friendship as well. Trust is so important.

Self-Mastery | "See that you bridle your passions, that ye may be filled with love." (Alma 38:12) Jesus Christ overcame the world; thus he became our Savior and Redeemer.


His maturity was full.