More and more on social media, I see the same thing: "don't make me adult", "I don't want to grow up", "don't make me get out of bed", "I don't want to adult". What I see is the attitude of irresponsibility. Many young people say they don't want to grow up (or some say they are grown up when it's the opposite). But what does it really mean to grow up?
Let's look at our terms. When we think of the word adult, we are meaning the legal age when you can have your independence. When I say "grow up", what does that mean? Does it mean to get a house or apartment, get a good job, work 40+ hours a week, give up fun and hobbies, do things you don't want to do, and pretty much give up your life as you know it? Many people think so. They think that when you graduate high school, you are forced into a grownup life involving work, college, and no longer living an enjoyable life. I don't believe this is necessarily the case. These people think they are a grownup because they are forced into that position. I hope I can explain clearly what it truly means to grow up.
As I see it, today's norm of growing up involves the things I previously stated, but there are a lot of people who get jobs, move into their own place, go to college, even raise kids. Unfortunately, many of these people do not grow up. 1 Corinthians 13:11 states "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." This verse is the definition of growing up (along with Luke 12:42-46).
What are the childish things that Paul mentions? Are they playing with toys, making childish jokes, laughing at farts, and hanging out on the playground? I don't think so. I think sometimes adults can partake in some of those things (especially with their kids) and still be grown up. Childish things can involve these to a point, but there's a deeper issue. What I believe this verse is talking about is the heart issue. Growing up involves thinking before you speak, learning to listen, learning to give up things to take on responsibility.
You see, the meaning of growing up is to take on responsibility because that is what God calls us to do. It is following God's commands, not because we have to, but because we love God and choose to. The Bible is full of instruction for daily living, dealing with work, raising kids, marriage, and every aspect of life. It means to take on responsibility with integrity because it is the right thing to do, being good stewards as God commands. (Titus 1:7-9, Colossians 3:23, 1 Corinthians 4:2, Luke 12:42-46)
I know a lot of people who believe the opposite. They are "grown up" because they have a job, car, maybe an apartment, and supporting themselves. But to grow up means also to manage your money in a God-honoring way, giving sacrificially to others, making good use of the time given us, and sometimes doing something we don't want to but know it needs done. It's called maturity. Not just physical and mental maturity, but spiritual maturity.
What I have been seeing is more young adults and youth deciding to only do things because it is required to live. They do the bare minimum just to get by, then squander their time on video games, TV, and useless hobbies. These are not inherently wrong, but when they stand in the way of responsibility and following God, they become sin. It is sad to see these young people with absolutely no desire to take on responsibility and waste their time.
We should strive to grow into mature Christians and into the people God intends us to be. The Bible has clear instructions to grow spiritually and it should be our continuous goal to follow those instructions. We should make good use of the time given us as told in Colossians 4:5 "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time." As you consider these things, remember the passage Luke 12:42-46 "And the Lord said, 'Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful"
