Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Moldable

The other day I witnessed a pretty heated argument between a mother and her adult daughter. Apparently the mother had offered some unwanted advice and the daughter was not only put out by the advice but downright offended. She ended their conversation saying, "I am a married adult and I'll do what I want; stop trying to mother me." before storming off. The confrontation confused me, because on the one hand, I understood what the daughter was feeling, as though her mother still thought of her as a child, but on the other hand I could relate with the mother and her desire to help the daughter she had spent decades caring for.

At what point are we truly "grown up"? If the definition of a grown-up is "a fully developed person" can we ever really say that we are grown-up? The word itself implies completion but I would hate to think that at 27 years old this is it for me. After 5 years of marriage can I really say I wouldn't benefit from some advice from someone who had been married 60+ years or after having been a mother for eight months that I couldn't profit from some good parenting advice from someone with 6 or 7 children? What about spiritually? I've been a christian for 19 years but in many ways I feel like I am just really getting started; oh the lessons I could learn from a new christian. I sincerely hope that God isn't finished with me and that my pride doesn't keep me from growing. I pray that he will bring people into my life brave enough to help me stretch and grow no matter how uncomfortable the growing pains.

Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
Proverbs 13:10

Your thoughts?

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